Andrey Gennadievich
Karlov
1954-2016
Andrey Gennadievich Karlov was the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Turkey. He was born on February 4, 1954 in Moscow in the family of a diplomat. After graduating in 1976 from the Faculty of International Economic Relations of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), he began his diplomatic service as a trainee assistant at the USSR Embassy in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Later, until 1981, he worked in other diplomatic positions at the USSR Embassy in the DPRK. In 1981-1984 he worked in the First Far Eastern Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the USSR. In 1984-1990, he was again an employee of the USSR Embassy in the DPRK. In 1992 he graduated from the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (MFA of Russia). In 1992-1997 he worked at the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Korea (South Korea). In 1997-2001, he held senior positions in the Department of the Asia–Pacific Region and in the First Department of Asia of the Russian Foreign Ministry. From July 9, 2001 to December 20, 2006 she was the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. He rightfully gained the authority of one of the leading Koreists, actively promoted the process of resolving the nuclear problem of the Korean peninsula. He assisted in the construction of the Orthodox Trinity Church in Pyongyang, for which he was awarded the Order of St. Seraphim of Sarov, 3rd degree of the Russian Orthodox Church on August 13, 2006. In 2007-2009 she was the Deputy Director, and from January 26, 2009 to July 12, 2013 she was the Director of the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, a member of the Board of the Ministry. He made a significant personal contribution to the improvement of the consular service system of the Russian Foreign Ministry. He was awarded the gratitude of the President of the Russian Federation (19.02.2011). From July 12, 2013 until the end of his life he was the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Turkey. As the head of the Russian diplomatic mission in Turkey, he showed high professionalism in promoting Russian-Turkish cooperation in every possible way, bringing Russian approaches to key international and regional problems to the leadership and public of this country, strengthening the spirit of mutual understanding and partnership between our states. In February 2014, he opened the Centre of Russian Science and Culture in Ankara. Unfortunately, this business trip of Andrei Gennadievich came at a time of widespread wave of terrorism and extremism in Turkey and the region, which he fell victim to. He tragically died on the evening of December 19, 2016 as a result of an assassination attempt in Ankara during the opening of the photo exhibition “Russia through the eyes of a traveler: from Kaliningrad to Kamchatka” at the Centre for Contemporary Art. The solemn event, at which the Ambassador delivered a welcoming speech, was broadcast live on local television, and the footage of the murder became the property of the world community. During this speech, a local security officer standing behind the ambassador pulled out a pistol and repeatedly shot Karlov. After that, he began shouting Islamist slogans, mentioning Syria and Aleppo (the largest city in Syria, which a few days before the tragedy was cleared by the troops of the Syrian government with the active assistance of the Russian Aerospace Forces from opposition armed groups supported by Islamist organizations). As a result of the actions of the local police, the attacker was shot dead. The seriously wounded Russian ambassador was taken to hospital, but 40 minutes later doctors reported his death. The terrorist was identified as 22-year-old Mevlut Mert Altyntas, a policeman who worked for about two and a half years in the state security agencies of Turkey. Two days later, the armed coalition “Jaish al-Fatah” (“Army of Conquest”) claimed responsibility for the murder – The branch of the international Islamist terrorist organization Al-Qaeda in Syria and Lebanon, which includes the terrorist group Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra), banned in Russia and many countries. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the purpose of the vile murder of Andrei Karlov was an attempt to disrupt the normalization of Russian-Turkish relations. During a telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the leaders of the two countries agreed on cooperation in the investigation of the murder, as well as on the joint fight against terrorism in general. By the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated December 20, 2016, Andrey Karlov was awarded the title of the Hero of the Russian Federation (posthumously) for his steadfastness and courage as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Turkey, a great contribution to the implementation of the foreign policy of the Russian Federation. On December 22, 2016, during the civil memorial service, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov handed over to the son of A.G. Karlov Gennady the badge of special distinction of the Hero of the Russian Federation — the Gold Star medal.
Address: Moscow, Flotskaya str., 11
