We condemn in the strongest terms and categorically reject the baseless and
biased references made by Michel Aoun, President of Lebanon, in his address
at the launching of the centennial celebrations of Lebanon, concerning the
Ottoman era as well as his accusation on the alleged use of state terror by
the Ottoman Empire in Lebanon.
This extremely unfortunate and irresponsible statement by President Aoun
made only a week after the visit of H.E. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Minister of
Foreign Affairs, to Lebanon, does not comply with the friendly relations
between the two countries.
The Republic of Turkey takes pride in owning the legacy of the Ottoman
Empire. There is no such thing as “state terror” in the history of the
Ottoman Empire. Contrary to allegations, the Ottoman era in the Middle East
was marked by a long period of stability. This era was a period where
different religious and linguistic communities lived in peace and tolerance
prevailed. Partitioned into spheres of influence based on Sykes-Picot in
the aftermath of World War I, the region has seen no peace since then. The
seeds of problems still causing instability today were planted at that
time.
It is a tragic manifestation of enthusiasm for colonialism on the part of
President Aoun to disregard what happened during the colonial period -which
lies at the root of today’s ills- and to attempt to impose responsibility
on the Ottoman rule instead by distorting history in delusion. This blind
approach does and will not have any place whatsoever in any objective
interpretation of history or in the conscience of the peoples of the
region.