Latvia denounces Istanbul terror attack, calls for crackdown on extremism

Latvia's top officials on Wednesday denounced Tuesday's deadly attacks at Istanbul' s Ataturk International Airport and called for a coordinated crackdown on extremism.

Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis strongly condemned the terror attacks at the Turkish airport, stressing the international community had to be united in its fight against extremism.

As many as 41 people were killed and more than 200 injured when three suicide bombers arrived at the airport on Tuesday night and started firing at people before blowing themselves up.

Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics offered condolences to the people of Turkey on behalf of Latvia, conveying his deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the victims, and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.

Latvian Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis, who also denounced the deadly blasts at Istanbul's airport, indicated this was yet another reminder that internal security had to be each country's top priority, said the minister's spokeswoman Daiga Holma.

Although the terror threat level remains low in Latvia, the country has to work to boost its counter terrorism capabilities, including by stepping up cooperation with counter terrorism services in other countries, the interior minister said.

Kozlovskis called on Latvian lawmakers to speed up the adoption of a bill on the Passenger Name Record so that air passengers' data was available to the security services and they could track the movement of suspicious travellers. Endit