YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. Ethnic Armenian lawmaker of Turkey from the HDP party Garo Paylan has criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his “girl martyr” comment.

“What is this cruelty. And the applaud……mass madness is continuing,” Paylan said on Twitter and posted a video showing the comments of the Turkish president.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been criticized after telling a girl in military uniform that she would be honored if killed while fighting.

"If she's martyred, they'll lay a flag on her," he told the sobbing girl at a televised congress of his AK Party.

In the event, broadcast live on state television, the young girl dressed as a soldier seems to catch the attention of Mr Erdogan, who then invites her to the stage.

The speech has been described as "child abuse" and a glorification of death, BBC reported.

"Look what you see here! Girl, what are you doing here? We have our maroon berets here, but maroon berets never cry," he told her, referring to the beret worn by the Turkish Special Operations Forces.

"She has a Turkish flag in her pocket too... If she's martyred, they'll lay a flag on her, God willing," he said during the congress in the southern town of Kahramanmaras on Saturday.

"She is ready for everything, isn't she?" The girl replied: "Yes." The crowd applauded and cheered afterwards.

English –translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan