Russians descend on Turkey after assassination of one of their own

The gunman who fatally shot the Russian ambassador to Turkey was trying to "drive a wedge" between the two countries and derail efforts toward a peaceful solution of the civil war in Syria, the Kremlin said Tuesday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov spoke to reporters in Moscow as 18 investigators from Russia arrived in Turkey to investigate the death of Andrei Karlov, who was shot multiple times by a Turkish police officer Monday while making a speech in Ankara. Gunman Mevlüt Mert Altıntaş, 22, shouted slogans related to the Syrian crisis before he was shot and killed by police.

Peskov said he expects the attack will bring Turkey and Russia closer together. 

"Most likely the murder was aiming to derail the efforts toward a peaceful Syrian resolution," Peskov said. "However, it will not impede this process in any way."

Peskov said the investigators will determine whether the attack was the work of Altıntaş alone or a more complex conspiracy. Turkish authorities have detained seven people, including six family members and a roommate of Altıntaş.

Altıntaş had taken a leave from his job with Ankara police days before the attack and had a hotel reservation near the Contemporary Arts Center where Karlov was slain, Turkish authorities said. He refused to walk through a metal detector when he arrived at the center, but was granted entry after showing his police ID, The Hurriyet Daily News reported.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said a street near the Russian Embassy will be renamed for Karlov. Turkey and Russia will work together on the investigation, he said.

"It is known how important the relations with Russia are for the region — and not only for two countries," Cavusoglu said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged their nations will continue cooperating in efforts to bring peace to Syria and on other issues. Putin also said the attack shows why the fight against terrorism must be vigorous.

"The killers will feel it," Putin said. 

Altıntaş shouted slogans, mostly in Turkish, such as “Don’t forget Aleppo! Don’t forget Syria! As long as our brothers are not safe, you will not enjoy safety. ... Whoever has a share in this oppression will pay for it one-by-one. ... Only death will take me away from here..." witnesses said. He also shouted "Allahu Akbar," Arabic for "God is great." 

The Russian Foreign Ministry described the attack as an "act of terrorism." Russian TV reported Altıntaş had guarded the Russian embassy in Ankara earlier this month, when there were rallies at the building protesting Russian involvement in Syria and the situation in the city of Aleppo.

Russia and Turkey have been key players in the almost 6-year-old civil war in Syria, with Russia supporting Syrian President Bashar Assad, while Turkey supports some Western-backed rebel groups. Russia has provided support for Syrian troops that bombarded rebel-held areas of the northern city of Aleppo, creating a massive humanitarian crisis. Russia and Turkey have worked in recent days to allow rebels and civilians to evacuate rebel-held neighborhoods.

Cavusoglu, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met Tuesday in Moscow to work on a peaceful solution in Syria. The ministers adopted a joint statement on coordinated actions aimed at reviving political progress.

"It is our common view that there is no military solution to the Syrian crisis," Lavrov said at a joint news conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Contributing: Jane Onyanga-Omara