Questions have been raised as to how the murder of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov Monday night will affect the already shaky relations between Russia and Turkey.

In an exclusive interview with Ynet, Russian Deputy Ambassador to Israel, Alexi Drobinin said that “the terror attack won’t affect our relations. The Turkish government will be helping the Russian investigators who will be arriving in Ankara in order to determine who is behind this murder – who sent him and who prepped him. Once we determine who is behind (the assassination), we will decide what to do.”

How is Russia going to deal with this policy-wise?

“I will reiterate what Vladimir Putin said – that Russia views this terror attack as an attempt to hurt the process to normalize and improve the relations between Russia and Turkey, along with attempting to derail the new course which we and Turkey are trying to chart in regards to Syria. It’s important to note that the Turkish, Iranian, and Russian foreign ministers are all meeting in Moscow today to discuss Syria.”

The murder of Ambassador Karlov was documented on camera at the photography event in Ankara. Mevlut Mert Aydintas, a riot policeman who has been serving on the force for two and a half years, and who was not on duty at the time of the shooting, emerged during the ambassador’s speech, shot the ambassador and yelled “we will die for Aleppo, you will die here.” He also yelled “never forget Aleppo!”

Deputy Ambassador Drobinin also said that “I didn’t personally work with Karlov, but I people who were connected to him. They told me that he was one of the most brilliant diplomats of his generation. He was a warm person who knew how to listen, knew how to convince, and knew who to be convinced. He was everything which makes up a great diplomat.How did you feel when you saw the pictures?

We are all in deep shock. As someone who previously served in Ankara in the second half of the 1990’s, I know the place well. I know the warmth of the Turkish people, the hospitality of the people there, I’m simply shocked that an extremist can grow up in that environment and simply kill the Russian ambassador. It’s unbelievable. “

How can it be that such a senior official wasn’t protected?

“This is the nature of modern terror. You can’t protect everyone everywhere all the time. It’s something that of course requires careful thinking regarding the security of Russian ambassadors and diplomats in places such as Ankara and throughout the Middle East. I believe that there will be more security (around these officials) starting immediately.

Source: ynetnews.com