The Belarusian foreign minister said on Thursday that an attack which wounded a diplomat from Belarus in Ankara was not politically motivated, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
“The issue does not have a political background. The incident occurred after a fight,” Vladimir Makey said, referring to Wednesday’s attack.
He said the diplomat’s surgery at the hospital was successful and thanked Turkish officials for their prompt help.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu had also said on Thursday that the attack was not politically motivated.
Alexander Poganshev, the head of administrative affairs at the Belarusian Embassy, was shot by a neighbor as a result of a personal dispute, Çavuşoğlu added.
The neighbor, who was a retired military officer, committed suicide at the scene after the shooting.