ANKARA—Turkish Prime Minister Recept Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday said Turkey should be “ready and well-equipped” to counter Armenians’ efforts “to turn the events of 1915 into a political campaign by [distorting] the historical reality,” ahead of the Armenian Genocide centennial, reported the Hurriyet Daily News.

Speaking to a conference of Turkish envoys, Erdogan mentioned that 2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the “1915 event.”

“We should all be ready and well-equipped so that the 1915 events can be dealt in an objective, scientific and realistic way. The Armenian diaspora is making its preparations to turn the events of 1915 into a political campaign by [distorting] the historical reality. In contrast to this political campaign, we will firmly stand against them by highlighting historical and scientific data,” Erdogan told the Turkish envoys.