Lebanese deputy: Historical hatred, propaganda against Turkey unacceptable


Lebanese lawmaker Khaled al-Daher on Saturday warned Armenians against "offending Turkey," calling to revealing the facts regarding the events of 1915."We salute the man behind Turkey's renaissance: [President] Recep Tayyip Erdoğan," al-Daher said at a press conference in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli, describing Turkey as a country of freedoms and justice.He called for a "revealing of the facts," adding that he would not tolerate what he described as "lies", "delusions" or "historical hatred" against Turkey.Tripoli's residents organized a three-day campaign, which kicked off on Friday, in response to an attempt by Armenians to organize events, marking the anniversary of the 1915.The residents waved thousands of Turkish flags to support Turkey against Armenian claims.The 1915 events took place during World War I when a portion of the Armenian population living in the Ottoman Empire took sides with the invading Russians and staged revolts.The relocation by the Ottomans of Armenians in eastern Anatolia following the revolts resulted in numerous casualties.Turkey does not dispute that there were casualties on both sides, but rejects the definition of "genocide."