Qatar’s government has expressed its condolences to the victims of Tuesday’s suicide bombing in a historic area of Istanbul, QNA reports.

The attack killed at least 10 people and injured 15 more, most of them German tourists.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said:

“Such criminal acts, which aim at shaking the security and stability of Turkey, terrorizing peaceful civilians and killing innocent people, contravenes all values, ethics, humanitarian principles and heavenly doctrines.”

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu blamed the bombing – which took place in the Sultanahmet district, near the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque – on a “foreigner” belonging to ISIL, the BBC reports.

Qatar and Turkey have forged increasingly close diplomatic, cultural and security ties in recent years, as well as finding common ground on several foreign policy issues such as the war in Syria.

Last month in Doha, Turkish President Recep Tayipp Erdogan and Qatar’s Emir signed more than a dozen agreements that included pacts to ease visa restrictions between the countries and the establishment of a Turkish military base in Qatar, among other measures.

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