International community condemns Ankara blast, stands with Turkey
ANKARA
Security officials and forensic experts at the explosion site in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, after assailants exploded a car bomb near vehicles carrying military personnel in the Turkish capital, killing several people and injuring scores of others, officials said. AP Photo
The international community has condemned a car bomb attack in Ankara that killed 28 people and wounded 61 others near the armed forces’ headquarters, parliament and other government buildings.United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the explosion in a statement issued by his spokesperson on Feb. 17 and extended his “heartfelt condolences” to the victims’ families.
“The Secretary-General hopes the perpetrators of this terrorist attack will be swiftly brought to justice,” said the statement. “The United Nations stands in solidarity with the people and the government of Turkey at this tragic time.”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also strongly condemned the terrorist attack and offered his “deepest condolences to the families of those killed and to the Turkish people.”
He said there could be no justification “for such horrific acts” and that “NATO allies stand shoulder to shoulder in the fight against terrorism.”
Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini and Commissioner Johannes Hahn released a joint statement on the terrorist attack, saying their “fullest sympathy goes to the Turkish people and authorities.”
“We are with Turkey and its people in these difficult times and stand by all those who suffer from the consequences of such violence, and of terrorism,” the statement said.
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, conveyed his condolences to Turkey’s government and people, saying he was “deeply saddened by the news of yet another deadly attack in Turkey.”
“Our thoughts are with the many people who are mourning and suffering as a result of these horrific terrorist attacks,” he said. “At the Council of Europe we stand in solidarity and sorrow today with our member state Turkey.”
“We stand together with Turkey, a NATO ally, a strong partner, and a valued member of the counter-Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant coalition in the face of this attack,” said Ned Price, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel also released a statement on Feb. 17, in which she sharply condemned the “horrifying” attack.
The chancellor said she was horrified by the attack in Ankara and that her thoughts were with the families of the victims and the injured.
“I’m telling the Turkish people: we as Germans are sharing your pain,” the statement said.
“In the battle against those responsible for these inhuman acts we are on the side of Turkey,” Merkel added.
Russia also expressed condolences to Turkey after the blast, saying the attack demonstrates the "need for all countries to unite in the fight against international terrorism."