We learned with profound sorrow that Mustafa Ülker, a Turkish citizen who was grazing his livestock on the Turkish-Armenian border lost his life as a result of firing as he crossed the Armenian border to round up his livestock. We wish God's mercy on our citizen and convey our condolences to his bereaved family.

Our citizen's remains have been brought back to Turkey. Necessary diplomatic initiatives are being taken on this issue.

We strongly condemn the shooting and killing of an innocent Turkish citizen for a simple border violation which we understand to have had an innocent purpose. There is no explanation for the Armenian party’s use of disproportionate force in such an incident which may typically occur at the border.

This and other similar incidents reveal once again the need for a complete, sustainable and comprehensive normalization in the South Caucasus region and the prevalence of common sense in Armenia’s relations with its neighbors.