Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – 29 June 2016: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, strongly condemns the cowardly attack at Turkey’s Ataturk Airport in Istanbul that has claimed dozens of lives of innocent people and has left scores of others injured.

The Chairperson of the Commission expresses the AU’s full solidarity with the Government and people of Turkey, offers her condolences to the bereaved families and wishes speedy recovery to the wounded. She expresses the AU’s full support to the efforts of the Turkish Government to combat terrorism.

The Chairperson of the Commission stresses that this heinous attack is further illustration of the seriousness of the threat that terrorism continues to pose to global security. She reaffirms the AU’s strong rejection of all acts of terrorism and violent extremism and stresses the need for enhanced cooperation and action at the global level to prevent and combat terrorism.