"After the tragic death of Andrei Karlov, it is difficult to find a new appropriate candidate," he said. "However, the post of our ambassador to such an important country as Turkey cannot remain vacant for long."
The diplomat also said that issues related to the safety of Russia’s diplomatic missions were solved depending on the changing local situation.
"Security measures at Russia’s diplomatic offices in Turkey will be stepped up in close consultation with Turkey’s authorities. Some serious steps have been already taken by Turkey," Meshkov added.
Russia’s Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was gunned down on December 19 while he was delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of a photo exhibition.
The attacker was immediately neutralized by security forces. Russia’s foreign ministry officially declared it a terrorist attack, while the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case labeling Karlov’s assassination an act of international terrorism. Andrei Karlov was posthumously awarded the title of the Hero of Russia.
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