Atrocity in Manchester

There has been universal and world-wide condemnation of the violent and criminal attack against civilians enjoying a musical concert in the British city of Manchester. In a message to the people of Manchester HM Queen Elizabeth said:

The whole nation has been shocked by the death and injury in Manchester last night of so many people, adults and children, who had just been enjoying a concert.

I know I speak for everyone in expressing my deepest sympathy to all who have been affected by this dreadful event and especially to the families and friends of those who have died or were injured.

Messages of condolences and solidarity have been pouring in from all over the world. European Commission President Juncker said in a message,

"It was with great sadness and profound shock that I learnt of the brutal attack that struck Manchester.

It breaks my heart to think that, once again, terrorism has sought to instil fear where there should be joy, to sow division where young people and families should be coming together in celebration.

I would like to convey my deepest sympathies to Prime Minister May and to the British people.

Today we mourn with you. Tomorrow we will work side by side with you to fight back against those who seek to destroy our way of life. They underestimate ours and your resilience – these cowardly attacks will only strengthen our commitment to work together to defeat the perpetrators of such vile acts."

Messages have also been sent by the leaders of the Caucasus nations

Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili released a statement saying he is "deeply saddened" by the incident.

"On behalf of the Government and the people of Georgia I offer my sincere sympathies to the Government of Great Britain and the English people. We wholeheartedly share your sorrow in this challenging time", Kvirikashvili said.

"I believe that the civilised world will launch even more vigorous efforts against terrorism and as a united force we will achieve peace across the world", he added.

 Georgian President Giorgi Marghvelashvili said on twitter

President Serzh Sargsyan of Armenia in a message to British prime Minister Theresa May said,

“At this grave moment of loss, I express my support to you, the friendly people of the United Kingdom and families of the victims, wishing fortitude and resolve, and a speedy recovery to the wounded. Armenia strongly condemns such inhumane acts and is determined to continue throught the joint efforts fight against violence and terror.”   

President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan in his message to the british prime Minister said,

We were deepely saddened by the news of heavy casualties as a result of an explosion in Manchester. We are extremely outraged by this ruthless terror attack and consider it necessary and important to jointly fight against terrorism in a resolute manner. On behalf of the people of Azerbaijan and on my own behalf, I extend my deepest condolences to you, families and loved ones of those who died and the whole people of the United Kingdom, and wish the injured the swiftest possible recovery.

Many indviduals in the three South Caucasus countries also took to facebook and twitter to express their sorrow and extend their solidarity with the British people.

source; commonspace.eu

photo: The Socialist and Democrats group in the European Parliament issued a message on social media "Manchester we are with you"

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
Finland hosts European Arctic Summit

Finland hosts European Arctic Summit

The Arctic summit of European leaders will be held in Rovaniemi, a municipality in Northern Finland on 13–14 September. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has invited a group of EU leaders to the summit. The aim of the summit is to strengthen the EU’s common strategic approach to the Arctic region as its geopolitical significance continues to grow rapidly. “The Arctic region is an increasingly important part of Europe's security environment. The European Union has direct interests in its stability, security and sustainable development. It is very valuable to be able to discuss these issues together with a comprehensive group of EU leaders,” said Orpo. The summit will be attended by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Estonia Kristen Michal, Prime Minister of Latvia Andris Kulbergs, President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda and President of Romania Nicușor Dan. President of the European Council António Costa and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas will also take part in the summit. The summit is taking place against an extremely dynamic backdrop. In the face of accelerating climate change and geopolitical tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, the economic importance of the northeast passage is growing. For 2026, more than forty million tonnes of freight are expected to pass through the Northern Sea Route for the first time, primarily due to expanded trade between Russia and China. Furthermore, in August, China launched its first regular container service through the Arctic. Finally, the EU’s Arctic policy itself is set for a reorientation: the Commission intends to present an updated Arctic strategy this autumn, in which security is to play a central role for the first time. Kaja Kallas had already advocated for this at the Arctic Frontiers conference in Tromsø earlier this year, stating that the Arctic needed more attention, more resources, and more hard power. The summit in Rovaniemi can therefore also be seen as a dress rehearsal for the new strategy. Finland brings a unique perspective to this debate: over 95 per cent of Finland’s foreign trade in goods is conducted by sea, and its ports freeze over almost every winter. This structural peculiarity has given rise to a strong export sector in the field of icebreakers: Finnish companies have designed around 80 per cent of all icebreakers worldwide and built around 60 per cent; even the US Coast Guard is having the first vessels of its new Arctic Security Cutter class built in Finland because the domestic alternative could not meet the schedule. The fact that this leverage can also be utilised geopolitically has already been successfully demonstrated. At the end of September 2022, the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused to grant an export licence for an LNG icebreaker ordered by the Russian mining group Norilsk Nickel, thereby bringing to an end a project that would have created around 2,100 person-years of employment. (click the image to read more).

Popular

Editor's choice
Interview
Thursday Interview: Murad Muradov

Thursday Interview: Murad Muradov

Today, commonspace.eu starts a new regular weekly series. THURSDAY INTERVIEW, conducted by Lauri Nikulainen, will host  persons who are thinkers, opinion shapers, and implementors in their countries and spheres. We start the series with an interview with Murad Muradov, a leading person in Azerbaijan's think tank community. He is also the first co-chair of the Action Committee for a new Armenian-Azerbaijani Dialogue. Last September he made history by being the first Azerbaijani civil society activist to visit Armenia after the 44 day war, and the start of the peace process. Speaking about this visit Murad Muradov said: "My experience was largely positive. My negative expectations luckily didn’t play out. The discussions were respectful, the panel format bringing together experts from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey was particularly valuable during the NATO Rose-Roth Seminar in Yerevan, and media coverage, while varied in tone, remained largely constructive. Some media outlets though attempted to represent me as more of a government mouthpiece than an independent expert, which was totally misleading.  Overall, I see these initiatives as important steps in rebuilding trust and normalising professional engagement. The fact that soon a larger Azerbaijani civil society visits to Armenia followed, reinforces the sense that this process is moving in the right direction." (click the image to read the interview in full)