Turkey condemns knife attack in France

* Photo: Arié Botbol / Liberation

Click to read the article in Turkish

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Spokesperson Ömer Çelik have condemned the attack in Nice, France.

Three people were killed and several wounded in the knife attack near the Basilica of Notre Dame de l'Assomption. Police arrested the suspect, taking him to a hospital after he sustained gunshot wounds, according to local media. The dead included one man and two women.

In a separate incident today (October 29), police shot dead a knife-wielding man who threatened police in Avignon, according to media reports.

'There can be no excuse for such an act'

Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned the attack in a press release issued on its official website. The Ministry has stated: 

We strongly condemn the attack perpetrated today inside the Notre-Dame de Nice Church in Nice, France. We convey our condolences to the relatives of those who lost their lives in the attack and wish speedy recovery to the wounded. There can be no reason to excuse the killing of a human being and justify violence. It is obvious that those who carried out such a brutal attack in a sacred place of worship have never benefited from religious, human and moral values. As a country which fights against different sorts of terror and loses its citizens as a result of terrorism, we emphasize our solidarity with the French people, the residents of Nice in particular, against terrorism and violence."

'We condemn the heinous attack'

As reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), Presidential Spokesperson Kalın has also condemned the attack. "We condemn the heinous terrorist attack in the Notre-Dame church in Nice," he has said on Twitter and conveyed his condolences to the relatives of the deceased.

"Terror has no religion, language or color," İbrahim Kalın has added, emphasizing that "Turkey will fight with determination and solidarity against all forms of terrorism and extremism."

AKP Spokesperson Çelik has also condemned the attack in a brief message. Expressing "solidarity with the French people in the face of terror, extremism and violence," Çelik has extended his condolences.

"The inhuman face of terror does not change no matter what label of ideology, religion, ethnicity or sect it has," Çelik has noted, adding that "any act that targets innocent people is an act against humanity." (HA/SD)