ERDOGAN CALLS ON SARKOZY TO REMEMBER HIS OTTOMAN ROOTS
hetq
12:58, January 25, 2012
In his rant against the French Senate’s passage of the genocide
denial bill, Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan has made mention of French
President Sarkozy’s “Ottoman roots”.
Erdogan has said that Sarkozy’s grandfather was a Jew born in Salonika,
then part of the Ottoman Empire, where his ancestors had fled from
persecution in Spain.
“Regardless of how much enmity he has against Turkey, [Sarkozy] is
someone whose roots are linked to the Ottoman Empire and whose history
intersects with that of Turkey. No matter how racist the approach he
adopts, he cannot get rid of his past and overshadow the Ottomans’
tolerance,” Erdogan said.
“We will not give this petty racist mindset the honor of hassling
Turkey. We will act with the common sense and dignity of a great
country,” he added.
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