Welcome

Foreign Minister Steinmeier on the terrorist attack in Istanbul

12.01.2016 - Press release

We condemn this barbaric and cowardly act of terrorism in the strongest possible terms. It was aimed at the heart of the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul, which we all value as a cosmopolitan and outward-looking city. At this difficult time, we stand side by side with Turkey.

We mourn the victims of this murderous attack. Our thoughts are with their families and with all those whose loved ones are still unaccounted for.

Unfortunately, we now have to assume that German nationals were among those injured in this terrorist attack. Nor can we rule out the possibility that there may be Germans among those killed.

The German Government’s crisis unit at the Federal Foreign Office convened immediately. It is working flat out together with the German Consulate-General in Istanbul and the German Embassy in Ankara to get hold of reliable information on the attack and to establish the fate of those affected. We are liaising closely with the Turkish authorities to this end.

I ask all Germans in Turkey, and especially in Istanbul, to closely follow the Federal Foreign Office travel and safety advice. It is available on the Federal Foreign Office website and is being continually updated to reflect the ongoing situation.

Related content

Keywords

Top of page