Turkey stands together with Sri Lanka in its fight against terror, the Turkish foreign minister said Wednesday. "We are shocked by the heinous terrorist attacks targeting innocent people at churches and hotels, claiming lives of more than 300 people and injured many more on 21 April 2019 in Sri Lanka," Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu wrote to the Sri Lankan Embassy in Ankara. "We are also grieving for our two citizens who are among the casualties," Çavuşoğlu added. He reiterated Ankara's condemnation of the attacks in the "strongest terms," conveying condolences to the families and Sri Lankan government.

Replying on Twitter, Sri Lanka's mission expressed its thanks to Çavuşoğlu and Turkey for its "overwhelming support and solidarity" in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday attack when eight explosions targeted different locations in and outside Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka.

Turkish Ambassador Tunca Özçuhara, together with the envoys of nine Muslim countries, paid a visit to the head of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, to pledge solidarity with the Christian community in Sri Lanka.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Özçuhadar said they felt genuine grief in the aftermath of the violence that bloodied one of the most important holidays on the Christian calendar. He added that the devastating attack highlighted the need for a concerted global effort to bring peace by taking all possible measures to curb terror and promote communal harmony.