Tweet
TURKISH SHEPHERD SHOT DEAD BY ARMENIAN BORDER GUARDS
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Aug 1 2013
1 August 2013 /TODAY'S ZAMAN, ANKARA
Thirty-five-year-old Turkish shepherd Mustafa Ulker, who crossed to
the Armenian side of the border to retrieve a lost sheep, was shot
dead by Armenian soldiers patrolling the border, Kars Governor Eyup
Tepe said on Thursday.
Ulker illegally crossed into Armenia from the Arpacay district of
Kars on Wednesday when he realized that a sheep from his herd had
crossed the border. According to reports, Armenian soldiers opened
fire on the shepherd without giving a warning.
"The Armenian side wants to return the body. Our brigade's assistant
commander and the district governor are at the border. We will most
likely receive our citizen's body through the east gate. We could say
that there was excessive use of force involved considering that he
[Ulker] did not have a gun in his hands," said Tepe.
"We are continuing to have talks with Armenian officials. This
[shooting incident] is one the problems that we sometimes face at
our borders," added Tepe.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with
Azerbaijan after the Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of
Azerbaijan in 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region. In 2009,
the Zurich Protocols were signed between Armenia and Turkey to
normalize relations; however, the move did not bear fruit as the
border remains closed.
The mass killings of Armenians at the hands of the Ottomans in 1915,
referred to as a genocide by Armenians, is an issue that strains ties
between the two countries. Turkey categorically denies the charges of
genocide, saying that there were deaths on both sides when Armenians
revolted against the Ottoman Empire in collaboration with the Russian
army and invaded Eastern Anatolia to gain independence.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-322440-turkish-shepherd-shot-dead-by-armenian-border-guards.html
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Aug 1 2013
1 August 2013 /TODAY'S ZAMAN, ANKARA
Thirty-five-year-old Turkish shepherd Mustafa Ulker, who crossed to
the Armenian side of the border to retrieve a lost sheep, was shot
dead by Armenian soldiers patrolling the border, Kars Governor Eyup
Tepe said on Thursday.
Ulker illegally crossed into Armenia from the Arpacay district of
Kars on Wednesday when he realized that a sheep from his herd had
crossed the border. According to reports, Armenian soldiers opened
fire on the shepherd without giving a warning.
"The Armenian side wants to return the body. Our brigade's assistant
commander and the district governor are at the border. We will most
likely receive our citizen's body through the east gate. We could say
that there was excessive use of force involved considering that he
[Ulker] did not have a gun in his hands," said Tepe.
"We are continuing to have talks with Armenian officials. This
[shooting incident] is one the problems that we sometimes face at
our borders," added Tepe.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with
Azerbaijan after the Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of
Azerbaijan in 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region. In 2009,
the Zurich Protocols were signed between Armenia and Turkey to
normalize relations; however, the move did not bear fruit as the
border remains closed.
The mass killings of Armenians at the hands of the Ottomans in 1915,
referred to as a genocide by Armenians, is an issue that strains ties
between the two countries. Turkey categorically denies the charges of
genocide, saying that there were deaths on both sides when Armenians
revolted against the Ottoman Empire in collaboration with the Russian
army and invaded Eastern Anatolia to gain independence.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-322440-turkish-shepherd-shot-dead-by-armenian-border-guards.html