Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has come under criticism for suggesting that it is insulting to be associated with Armenians.

During a television interview, Erdogan said: "They have said so many things about me. Some said I was Georgian. One said - begging your pardon - even uglier things, that I was Armenian."

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Erdogan, who is candidate in Sunday's presidential elections, identified himself as a Turk during the interview.

His comments brought back memories of the Ottoman Empire's slaughter of ethnic Armenians living in what is now called Turkey.

Hundreds of thousands of Armenians died at the hands of Ottoman Turks in 1915 in what historians consider a genocide -- a term that Turkey and the U.S., however, officially refuse to use.

Opposition lawmaker Hursit Gunes has accused Erdogan of inciting racial hatred for his remarks.

He went to court on Wednesday to lodge a criminal complaint against the prime minister.

The Washington Post said Erdogan's perceived racist statement may have been an unfortunate slip of tongue.

But it might also lend support to claims that Erdogan's government discriminates against Armenians in Turkey, according to the report.

Quoting U.S.-born Armenian analyst Richard Giragosian, the Washington Post noted that Erdogan frequently uses "extremely aggressive and bellicose language when referring to the Armenians or Armenian issue."

The newspaper, however, also mentioned that before his latest remarks Erdogan had tried to reach out to the country's minority communities, including Armenians.

There have been reports that Ankara is considering opening the Alican border crossing between Turkey and Armenia.

In April, a day before the 99th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, Erdogan issued a statement offering his condolences to the families of Armenians killed in 1915.

The statement, however, fell short of an apology for Turkey's role in the genocide, and critics complained about Erdogan's use of "euphemisms and the age-old 'everyone suffered' denialist refrain."

TagsTurkey racism, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish prime minister, Turkey presidential elections, Armenians vs. Turks, Armenian Genocide