Armenia added its voice on Saturday to worldwide condemnations of two powerful explosions in Turkey’s capital Ankara that left at least 86 people dead and more than 180 others injured.
The explosions occurred at an area where people were gathering for a planned "peace march" to push for a settlement of the conflict between the Turkish government and Kurdish militants in the southeastern part of the country. The government described the incident as a "terrorist attack" and said it is investigating the possibility that it was a suicide bombing.
A statement by President Serzh Sarkisian’s office said that he “strongly condemned” the bombing attack in a letter sent to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“Please accept my condolences over the incident. I wish steadfastness and strength of spirit to the victims’ relatives, and a speedy recovery to the injured,” Sarkisian wrote, according to the statement.
The Armenian leader sent a similar letter to Erdogan in July following a blast in the southern Turkish city of Suruc which killed dozens of people.