Turkish PM to join Charlie rally in Paris

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu will travel to Paris Sunday to take part in the rally in support of France following the massacre at satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, the official Anatolia news agency reported.

Istanbul: Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu will travel to Paris Sunday to take part in the rally in support of France following the massacre at satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, the official Anatolia news agency reported.

"Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu will tomorrow in Paris join the march in solidarity with the French people," Anatolia said.

Davutoglu will be the most prominent leader of a majority Muslim country at the rally, joining other world leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Turkish media described the decision as a surprise move by Davutoglu, who had been scheduled to visit Germany next week but not France.

His attendance also comes despite growing tensions between Turkey and the European Union over allegations of an erosion of civil and media freedoms under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Davutoglu had this week condemned the massacre by two brothers with jihadist connections at the offices of Charlie Hebdo as "terrorist attack", saying there could be no link between Islam and violence.

Charlie Hebdo, which was known for lampooning radical Islam, had angered Muslims in Turkey and elsewhere on several occasions.

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