Turkey has shut its airspace to Armenian flights, says minister

Turkey has closed its airspace to Armenian flights heading to a third destination in response to the unveiling of a controversial monument in Yerevan last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.

The monument commemorates those involved in an assassination plot against Ottoman Turkish officials whom Armenia holds responsible for mass killings of ethnic Armenians during World War One. Yerevan says the killings constitute a genocide, a charge Ankara denies.

Speaking to broadcaster NTV, Cavusoglu said Turkey would take further steps if the monument is not removed. [Reuters]