The Lebanese tourism minister has come under fire after saying he was happy about the current problems Turkey is facing and many in the country have called for him to resign over his "racist comments".
Speaking in an interview on MTV Lebanon on Friday, Lebanese Tourism Minister and Deputy Chairman of Tashnag, a small Armenian party, Avadis Kadanian said as an individual he does not like Turkey and would rather not welcome any Turks to Lebanon.
"I would not promote anything related to Turkey, none of their products, or establish relations with them. I cannot prevent Turks from coming to Lebanon and I do not want to welcome them at an airport," Kadanian said.
Kadanian also said he would prefer Armenia over Lebanon after he was asked to make a choice between the two countries.
The Armenian minister's comments drew heavy criticism on social media and prompted a campaign for his resignation. The hashtag #Kadanianapologizeorresign is also trending on Twitter.
"How come a minister of Lebanon, a country which has good relations with Turkey, can make such racist comments against Turkish people?" a tweet read.
Former minister of Justice Ashraf Rifi also asked Kadanian to step down immediately.
