In his rant against the French Senate’s passage of the genocide denial bill, Turkish Prime Minister Erdoğan has made mention of French President Sarkozy’s “Ottoman roots”.

Erdoğan has said that Sarkozy’s grandfather was a Jew born in Salonika, then part of the Ottoman Empire, where his ancestors had fled from persecution in Spain.

“Regardless of how much enmity he has against Turkey, [Sarkozy] is someone whose roots are linked to the Ottoman Empire and whose history intersects with that of Turkey. No matter how racist the approach he adopts, he cannot get rid of his past and overshadow the Ottomans’ tolerance,” Erdoğan said.

“We will not give this petty racist mindset the honor of hassling Turkey. We will act with the common sense and dignity of a great country,” he added.