Ankara [Turkey], Dec. 20 : Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced Tuesday that Moscow has sent an 18-member team to Turkey to investigate the assassination of Russia's ambassador Andrei Karlov in Ankara.
"As decided by our two leaders [Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan], the issue will be investigated jointly.
A Russian investigative team has arrived in Ankara," Anadolu quoted Lavrov as saying before a bilateral meeting in Moscow with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.
The team, including one prosecutor and two defense attaches, will investigate the incident together with Turkish officials.
Before their meeting, Lavrov and Cavusoglu laid flowers for the slain diplomat, who was shot multiple times at an art exhibition in Ankara late Monday.
Lavrov said the terrorist attack should be thoroughly investigated "as soon as possible." He added that Karlov's body will be returned to Russia on the same plane that brought the team to Ankara.
Lavrov said Russia is "grateful" for Turkey's quick response to the assassination and that both countries are "determined" to fight terrorism.
"The aim of this terror attack was actually to damage relations," Cavusoglu said, adding that Turkey knows this and will not let it happen.
Source: ANI
