Armenia added its voice on Wednesday to the chorus of strong international condemnation of an armed attack on the Paris offices of a French satirical magazine which left at least 12 people dead.
President Serzh Sarkisian was quick to send a letter to his French counterpart Francois Hollande strongly condemning the shootings, offerings his condolences to the victims’ families and expressing solidarity with France.
“At this difficult moment of grief and loss, Armenia and the Armenian people stand alongside you and the friendly French people,” wrote Sarkisian.
“We express our condolences and support to the people and authorities of friendly France, the editorial staff of the ‘Charlie Hebdo’ magazine and the relatives of the victims,” Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said in a separate statement.
“Such appalling acts by extremists can have no justification and once again highlight the need for a greater consolidation of international efforts to fight against terrorism,” he added.
In his letter, Sarkisian reaffirmed Yerevan’s commitment to “consistently continue the struggle against international terrorism.”
The deadly attack was widely blamed on Islamist extremists apparently enraged by “Charlie Hebdo” cartoons ridiculing Prophet Muhammad and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the notorious leader of the militant Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Ten of the attack victims were reportedly members of the weekly magazine’s staff.