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MOSCOW, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov was killed in a gunman attack at an art exhibition on Monday in the Turkish capital of Ankara, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the country's Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov had died in a gunman attack in Ankara on Dec. 19, 2016, and the ministry declared the attack a terrorist act. Andrey Karlov is pictured in this undated file photo provided by Russia's Sputnik news agency. (Xinhua/Sputnik)

The ministry has declared the attack a terrorist act, and Russia's Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case over the murder of the diplomat.

Ankara has assured Moscow to bring those responsible for the attack to justice, and the issue would be raised with the United Nations Security Council later in the day, the ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters in Moscow.

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been informed of attack, and is planning a consultation with the foreign ministry and the country's security services.

The incident came one day before a tri-party meeting among the top diplomats of Russia, Turkey and Iran over the Syrian crisis scheduled for Tuesday in Moscow.

The Interfax news agency quoted the Turkish Embassy to Russia as saying that Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu would come to Moscow as planned despite the incident.

Born in 1954, Karlov has served as the Russian Ambassador to Turkey since 2013.

The gunman is seen at the shooting site of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov in a modern art exhibition center in Ankara, Turkey, Dec. 19, 2016. The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the country's Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov had died in a gunman attack on Monday in Ankara, and the ministry declared the attack a terrorist act. (Xinhua)