Brussels, 15/07/2016 (Agence Europe) - European and international leaders were unanimous in their condemnation on Friday 15 July of the attack in Nice the previous day when a lorry ploughed through crowds of people, killing 84 and injuring dozens more including 18 who are in a critical condition, according to provisional reports.
“I am deeply shocked and distressed by the horrible ordeal that has struck the beautiful town of Nice on this national holiday”, said Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, who wrote to President of the French Republic François Hollande restating the Commission's support for France and the other member states in the fight against terrorism.
Meeting in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, for the ASEM Europe-Asia summit, the heads of state and/or government of Europe and of Asia, European Council President Donald Tusk and Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Lê Luong Minh condemned the attack in a joint statement. They reiterated their “strong unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations” and strongly condemned “heinous and cowardly terrorist attacks”.
The United Nations Security Council also “condemned in the strongest terms the barbaric and cowardly terrorist attack” in Nice. In a unanimous statement, the 15 member countries expressed their “condolences to the families of the victims and the French government”. Any act of terrorism is criminal and unjustifiable, the 15 countries stated reaffirming the need for all countries to fight the terrorist threat by all means in compliance with international law.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking on Friday morning, expressed her country's solidarity with France in the fight against terrorism. “Germany stands side by side with France in the fight against terrorism”, she stated in Ulaanbaatar.
United States President Barack Obama, on Thursday evening, also condemned “in the strongest terms what appears to be a horrific terrorist attack”. “We stand in solidarity and partnership with France, our oldest ally as they respond to and recover from this attack”, he said.
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, whose country suffered terrorist attacks on 22 March announced at a press briefing on Friday 15 July, one week before the Belgian national day, on 21 July, that security measures will be taken to counter the any similar attack.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also condemned this “barbaric”, “particularly cruel” and “cynical” attack.
Several Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia also condemned the attack: Islamic institution Al-Azhar called for unity to rid the world of terrorism. The Sultanate of Oman, Kuwait and Qatar also forcefully condemned the attack.
In Egypt, which itself is being hit by Jihadist attacks, President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi reaffirmed his country's total solidarity with its friend France and its support for international efforts to fight terrorism. Terrorism knows no borders and is destroying the lives of innocents across the globe, the president said in a press release, AFP reports. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)