Ankara strongly condemns of shooting of Turkish shepherd by Armenian border guards

Ankara has said Thursday's shooting of a Turkish shepherd by Armenian border guards is nothing but excessive use of force against an unarmed civilian, warning Yerevan of dire consequences of moves that may endanger regional stability and peace. Turkey strongly condemned the incident with a released statement. The Turkish Foreign Ministry called on Armenia to act with restraint to avoid another tragic incident similar to the death of shepherd Mustafa Ulker, who crossed the Armenian border to retrieve his lost sheep and was shot dead by Armenian border guards on Thursday. Ankara said it has launched diplomatic initiatives to investigate the incident. The body of the shepherd was brought to Turkey late on Thursday. Turkey stated that Armenia used excessive force in the recent case and killed an unarmed civilian while ignoring the fact that such a crossing does not pose any threat to the national security of the country. The incident yet again highlighted the need for common sense in Armenian relations with neighbors for normalization and sustainable peace in the volatile region, the statement concluded.