Thousands of angry demonstrators greeted Armenian President as he arrived in Lebanon

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian was greeted by thousands of angry demonstrators as he arrived in Lebanon on Tuesday to discuss with the local Armenian community plans to establish ties with Turkey.



The demonstrators -- men, women and children -- carried placards that read "no to the agreements" and "the blood of Armenians not up for sale" as they marched outside Sarkisian's hotel on the outskirts of Beirut, AFP reports.



Some demonstrators clashed briefly with anti-riot police who had deployed around the hotel, and a handful of people were lightly injured by batons.



Sarkisian's short stop in Beirut is part of a week-long international trip aimed at calming concerns among the Armenian diaspora over Turkish-Armenian efforts to normalise relations.



But such plans have angered many in Lebanon's 140,000-strong Armenian community, mostly made up of the descendants of those who survived Armenian Genocide Ottoman rule almost a century ago.



Hagop Pakradounian, one of six Armenian deputies in Lebanon's parliament, said the community was all for improved ties between Armenia and Turkey but not at any price.

"This issue concerns Armenians worldwide and not just those in Armenia," Pakradounian told AFP.



"We are not talking about a simple economic accord between two countries but a historic one that concerns each Armenian family, whatever its nationality," he said.



Community members have drawn up a petition condemning the agreements set to be signed later this month between Turkey and Armenia on establishing diplomatic ties.



"I will shut down my shop to go fight so that our martyrs are not forgotten," he said. "We want to recover our land. My ancestors owned huge plots of land in Urfa," in southeast Turkey.



Some members of the younger generation, however, appeared to adopt a more conciliatory tone, saying it was time to move on.



"The state of Armenia has made a decision and who am I to decide what is best for its people," asked jeweller Haig Asmarian, 34. "My grandfather still has the titles to his property but it's time to turn the page.



"And who knows, maybe this will benefit Armenia economically."