FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AND DISTRIBUTION
The Niagara Foundation strongly condemns the suicide bomber attack that killed a Turkish security guard outside the U.S. Embassy in Ankara on Friday, February 1, 2013.
According to the Reuters report: “Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said the bomber was a member of the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C), a far-left group which is virulently anti-U.S. and anti-NATO and is listed as a terrorist organization by Washington.”
We are repulsed by this senseless act of terrorism and lament the loss of innocent life. Turkey is a key U.S. ally in the Middle East, and the Niagara Foundation regularly sends members of our community to Turkey to witness the country’s diverse culture and to foster mutual respect abroad. We are deeply saddened by this atrocity, particularly in a country where we have many close ties.
This attack and all acts of violence are against humanist morals and should be denounced. We believe that life is sacred, and people of all world religions are united against violence and hateful actions.
As an organization whose mission is to promote peace, respect, and dialogue in the world, we feel it is our duty to publicly condemn hateful catastrophes like these, so we may continue persevering toward our ultimate goal: a peaceful international community.
U.S. Ambassador Francis J. Ricciardone Jr. told reporters that the attack would not harm relations with Turkey. The Niagara Foundation expressed condolences to Ambassador Ricciardone a few hours after the incident. He replied:
“Thank you for your message of condolence and please pass my appreciation to all your members for your solidarity at this painful time.”
We hope that continued dialogue between countries and cultures will ignite an international conversation toward peace and mutual understanding.