French citizens to gather near French Embassy in Moscow soon to pay tribute to Nice tragedy victims - ambassador
MOSCOW. July 15 (Interfax) - French citizens who live in Moscow will hold a minute of silence in memory of the victims of the terror attack in Nice near a makeshift memorial outside their country's embassy in the Russian capital at 4 p.m. Moscow time, French Ambassador to Russia Jean-Maurice Ripert said.
"The French community will arrive here at 4 p.m. and hold a minute of silence here, in front of the Embassy," the diplomat told reporters on Friday.
Once again France has come under a terror attack, the ambassador said. "What we can say today is that there are now 84 victims, 175 injured, 29 of them in very critical condition," Ripert said.
The terror attack was carried out on a national holiday when "we celebrate liberty, equality and fraternity," the humanistic values that terrorists want to destroy, he said.
"Tomorrow, as today, the nation will unite around its security and armed forces in France, as well as in Africa, Iraq, Syria and wherever terrorists find refuge," the ambassador said.
On behalf of the French community the diplomat thanked the Russian authorities, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and all Muscovites and Russians for the condolences and solidarity expressed to the French people.