Turkey condemns Armenian border shooting
Turkey sent a diplomatic note to Armenia on Friday strongly condemning the fatal shooting of a Turkish man who illegally crossed the Turkish-Armenian border in unclear circumstances earlier this week, Azatutyun.am reported.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry insisted that the victim, Mustafa Ulker, was a shepherd who entered Armenian territory to recover his livestock that went astray.
A Russian news report claimed, however, that Ulker carried a weapon and opened fire at Russian border guards patrolling the frontier before being shot and killed by them on Wednesday. Citing “preliminary data” from Russia security sources, the Itar-Tass news agency said that the 35-year-old man tried to “advance deeper into the republic’s territory.”
Sergey Grechin, the spokesman for the Russian border guards stationed in Armenia, declined to confirm or refute those claims when contacted by RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). Grechin said the border guards are investigating the incident and will make an official statement after the inquiry is over.