Ankara (AA) - Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on Tuesday that Gezi Park protests against a development project at Gezi Park of Taksim Square in Istanbul were different from the protests that broke out in the Middle East.
"Gezi Park protests is not a Turkish Spring. Turkey's Gezi Park incidents are far more different than the incidents in the Middle East. You can see in the Middle Eastern countries that there are debates related to fundamental rights and freedoms. In these countries there are no free elections, public will is not reflected and the courts are not in the standard of the Western countries," Gul said in a statement posted on his official website.
Pointing out that Turkey was a country in the process of negotiations with the European Union (EU), Gul said the country would never regress from its present situation.
Gul said, "Turkey is a country that believes in democracy, and the rule of law and court rulings work. There can be environmental concerns. There can be people who stand for environmental protection or for the rights of animals. Different beliefs should be respected. All of these issues are common problems seen in developed countries. Cars were torched, shops were plundered and people were injured because of similar the problems in London two years ago. Different beliefs should be respected. No one should have doubts over Turkey's future."
The Gezi Park protests which started in reaction to a construction project in Taksim's Gezi Park in Istanbul turned into nation-wide demonstrations against the government. One person was killed, dozens more were wounded during clashes with police, while hundreds were arrested.
