Summary Erdogan complains that the opposition is carrying out a smear campaign against him.
ISTANBUL (AFP) - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday faced accusations of racism days before he stands in presidential elections after saying in a television interview that it was ugly to be called an Armenian.
During a live interview on the private NTV channel late Tuesday, Erdogan complained that the opposition was carrying out a smear campaign against him by claiming that he was from another ethnic origin.
"They called me a Georgian. Pardon me for saying this, but they said even uglier things: They called me an Armenian!" Erdogan said.
"As far as I have learned from my father and grandfather, I am a Turk," he added.
His comment that it was ugly to be called an Armenian drew anger on social media, further inflaming tensions days ahead of Sunday s presidential election where Erdogan is hot favourite to become head of state.
"Excuse me, but please go and become the president of another country," wrote prominent Turkish-Armenian columnist Hayko Bagdat in an angry response to Erdogan.
Melda Onur, lawmaker from the Republican People s Party (CHP), asked: "Is there any ethnic group who could escape Erdogan s hate speech?"
Even a senior lawmaker from the ultra right-wing Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) -- usually not a natural friend of Turkey s Armenians -- came to their defence.
"We have news for Erdogan from the 21th century: Being an Armenian is not a crime, a fault, an ugly, an embarassing or a sinful thing.... But his words amount to hate crime according to our laws," Tugrul Turkes said in a written statement.
Critics accused Erdogan of playing the sectarian and the ethnic card in the run-up to the presidential elections.
"Is it ugly to be an Armenian or is it a shame? Please explain now!" demanded Nevsin Mengu, an anchorwoman at the private CNN-Turk television.
Hursit Gunes, academic and CHP lawmaker, filed a criminal complaint against Erdogan for "inciting hatred" and "racism", Milliyet newspaper reported.
- Mad leader disease -
Turkey s Armenian minority -- the remnants of a much greater community that lived during the Ottoman Empire -- numbers around 70,000 people, most of them living in Istanbul.
They often complain of being considered second-class citizens in a country where "Armenian" is often considered a curse.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their forebears were killed in a 1915-1916 genocide by Turkey s former Ottoman Empire. Turkey says 500,000 died of fighting and starvation during World War I and categorically rejects the term genocide.
Erdogan in April expressed his condolences over the World War I massacres of Armenians, which he called "our shared pain", but his overture was brushed aside by Yerevan.
Erdogan s supporters are largely ethnic Turkish Sunni Muslims, who are the overwhelming majority community in Turkey.
During an election rally last weekend, the 61-year-old premier urged the CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu to make clear he belongs to the country s minority Alevi community, an offshoot of Shia Islam.
"Kilicdaroglu, you can be an Alevi. I respect you. Don t be afraid to say it. I am Sunni and can say it without fear. There is no need to deceive people," he said.
Aytun Ciray, lawmaker and the deputy head of the CHP, called Erdogan a "very dangerous leader" with a "sick state of mind" and suggested that he showed symptoms of "Mad Leader Disease".
Erdogan also said his presidential election rival Selahattin Demirtas -- who represents a Kurdish party -- was actually a Zaza, an ethnic group living in southeast Turkey who often consider themselves as Kurds.
The premier meanwhile has repeatedly called his other election rival Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu -- the Egypt-born former head of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation -- "the Eyptian".
"Yes, Kilicdaroglu is an Alevi, Demirtas is a Zaza, Ihsanoglu is Eyptian and you are a thief!", the left-leaning BirGun newspaper headlined on Sunday, referring to the corruption allegations against Erdogan and his inner circle.
