“That’s why we still strive for a more cooperative and constructive relationship with Russia. We think it is important that Russia, which is our biggest neighbor in Europe, and NATO are working together on important issues like fighting terror,” Stoltenberg said.
He also censured the bloody shooting by masked gunmen at the headquarters of satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in Paris on Wednesday, which resulted in the death of 12 people.
The two suspects, still at large, have been identified as brothers going by the names Said and Cherif Kouachi. French special operations forces have been deployed in the country’s northeast to hunt them down. A third suspect, identified as Hamyd Mourad, has surrendered to police, but it is not clear yet how he is related to the attack.
The incident has drawn global condemnation.
“This horrific attack is meant to divide. We must not fall into that trap,” UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said, adding, “This is a moment for solidarity around the world. We must stand strong for freedom of expression and tolerance and stand against the forces of division and hate.”
Just minutes before the shooting, Charlie Hebdo had tweeted a satirical cartoon of the ISIL leader, Ibrahim al-Samarrai, also known as Abubakr al-Baghdadi.
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