Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met Wednesday with a group of 11 people representing the Gezi Park protesters.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met Wednesday with a group of 11 people representing the Gezi Park protesters, according to Turkish media outlets.
Prior to this meeting, which came as part of the government’s efforts to listen to the demands of the demonstrators, the prime minister convened the Central Executive Board (MYK) of his party to discuss the protests.
However, some activists had doubts about the talks’ legitimacy, and some of those invited had declined to meet with Erdoğan. Greenpeace had previously said they would not participate due to the “environment of violence.”
The Taksim Platform, which started the protests first, announced they were not notified of a meeting and the group “does not represent” the protestors across the country.
Erdoğan’s talks are set to come after clashes between police and protesters at Istanbul’s Taksim Square lasted into the early hours of Wednesday morning. Police also used tear gas to disperse protests in the capital, Ankara.
Erdoğan had warned of ‘no more tolerance’ and that he would put an end to the demos, which he said were hurting Turkey’s image and economy.
However, the country's finance minister said Wednesday that the mass anti-government demonstrations are having "no significant impact" on the economy, in a bid to reassure nervous investors.
"It could have a psychological impact but it has no significant impact on the real economy," Mehmet Simsek told local CNBC-e television station.
Istanbul’s Taksim Square and Gezi Park witnessed a calm rainy day after Tuesday’s fierce clashes between police and protesters on the 16th day of the unrest shaking Turkey.
Dozens of police officers stood guard near the Atatürk Cultural Center and around the Atatürk statue.
Istanbul Governor Hussein Avni Mutlu and Istanbul Police Chief Hussein Çapkın visited the square last night after the police took partial control following a harsh crackdown on protesters two times the same day.
Mutlu participated in a live interview with CNNTürk from the square and called on “parents” to take their children back home.
