The statements of French President Nicolas Sarkozy made in Armenia are nothing but an example of “political populism”, said Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

Davutoglu stressed that these statements were catering to French domestic politics.

“Any state or society that has a colonial past and cannot face its own history does not have the right to give lessons to Turkey. Those who want Turkey to face its history should look in the mirror,” Today’s Zaman quotes Davutoglu as saying.

Talking to journalists, Turkish FM stressed it will be very beneficial if France confronts with its own history, particularly with African nations, worldbulletin website reports.

Davutoglu also added that Turkish people lived together with the Armenians in same cities, neighborhoods for centuries, and Armenian people had huge contributions in Turkish architecture those days.

Earlier Turkish EU Minister and chief negotiator Egemen Bagis also voiced criticism over Sarkozy’s remarks.