Turkish president urges joint firm stand against terrorism

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has strongly condemned the terror attack at Istanbul Ataturk Airport that left 36 people killed and over 145 injured, urging the world to take a firm stand against terrorism.

"This attack once again revealed the dark face of terrorist organisations targeting innocent civilians," Xinhua news agency quoted Erdogan as saying in a statement issued after the attack on Tuesday night.

"This attack aims to produce propaganda material against our country by shedding blood and causing pain for innocent civilians," he said.

Erdogan said the attack which took place during the holy month of Ramadan, shows that terrorism strikes with no regard for faith and values.

He appealed governments, parliaments, the media and civil society organisations around the world to take a firm stand against terrorism.

The security situation in Turkey has deteriorated over the past year, with Istanbul, the national capital of Ankara and other cities having already been hit by a number of bombing attacks.

--IANS

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