The Dec. 19 assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov was aimed at derailing Moscow-Ankara ties, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow Dec. 20, Sputnik International reported.
“This [assassination] is beneficial for those who seek to drive a wedge between Russia and Turkey, hamper the repair of relations between the two sides, both bilateral and relations that allow strengthening and uniting the efforts for the Syrian political settlement…,” he said. “Our investigators have arrived in Ankara.”
Karlov died after receiving fatal wound in an armed assault at an art gallery exhibition opening in Ankara late Dec. 19. Three other people were injured in the attack. The killer, Turkish off-duty police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas, has been eliminated. The Russian Foreign Ministry called the incident an act of terrorism.