Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has publicly rejected a controversial idea popular in the country that the Arab population of the Middle East "betrayed" the Turks during the final years of the Ottoman Empire, stating it was "incompatible with reality".
Erdogan’s addressed his Justice and Development Party’s parliamentary bloc on Wednesday, speaking about spoke on domestic and foreign issues, and reviewed his right-wing party’s positions on such.
He said: "For decades, they've told us the same story: 'Arabs stabbed us in the back'. I always reply: 'Get out of here.'"
"These people turned their backs on our brothers, even dividing the capital by religious affiliation."
The Ottoman Empire encompassed most of the Middle East and North Africa from the 16th until the 19th centuries, although by the early 20th Century its territory had shrunk dramatically amid encroachment by Western colonial powers.
In 1916, Sharif Hussein, the governor of the Hejaz region in present-day Saudi Arabia, launched the Arab Revolt in coordination with the UK and France, who were then at war with the Ottoman Empire. They promised Hussein an independent Arab state in exchange for his support, but later reneged on this.
Until the present day, many Turks consider this rebellion as a betrayal. The Ottoman Empire's defeat by the UK and France in World War I led to its fall and the modern day Republic of Turkey later took its place.
For long periods of Ottoman history, there was cooperation and good relations between Turks and Arabs.
Erdogan referenced Syrian refugees who fled to Turkey and settled there, following the outbreak of the devastating civil war, saying that his party "embraced them unlike the opposition".
Over three million Syrians sought refuge in Turkey. Syrians were subjected to discrimination and racism, being scapegoated for Turkey's economic problems as the Syrian war dragged on.
Since the fall of the Assad regime, tens of thousands of Syrians have returned from Turkey, creating labour shortages in some industries.
Erdogan said: "A year ago, a revolution began in Syria, and these noble people gained even greater honour because of it. We, too, are honoured to have facilitated the Syrian revolution, and the Syrians pray for us as they return to their homeland."
Additionally, Erdogan addressed the humanitarian crises in Gaza and Sudan, stating that Turkey "will continue to stand" with the affected people and offer humanitarian support.
In his speech, Erdogan also spoke of the ongoing peace process between Ankara and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), after the group announced its plans to disarm earlier this year. Erdogan said Turkey is "closer than ever" to ridding the country of "terrorism".
The address came as the Justice and Development Party (AKP) marks 23 years in power in the country.
While the Islamist-leaning AKP has been somewhat more welcoming to Syrian refugees than more secular Turkish parties, it has been criticised for increasingly autocratic measures, including the detention of opposition mayors, activists and journalists.
The AKP’s main rival is the CHP, also known as the Republican People’s Party. The mayor of Istanbul and CHP member Ekrem Imamoglu were arrested in March this year and recently sentenced on a number of charges, including extortion, affiliation with criminal gangs, and money laundering.
Imamoglu is regarded as Erdogan’s main rival and is seen as the CHP’s most likely candidate for the 2028 presidential election.