Turkey accuses Merkel of 'meddling in internal affairs'

Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Bekir  Bozdag has criticized Germany's AngelaMerkel for "meddling" in Turkey's internal affairs following the chancellor's remarks on Turkish government's handling of Gezi Park protests. "What German Chancellor Angela Merkel did by making evaluations on the incidents in Turkey is getting involved in Turkey's domestic affairs," Bozdag told. In a televised interview on Sunday, Bozdag rejected Merkel's statements, saying the government would not allow anyone to intervene in Turkey's internal affairs. "Our statements are only answers to Merkel's evaluations on Turkey's domestic affairs. Merkel, however, evaluates on the incidents in Turkey expressing her concerns. Is this not getting involved in Turkey's domestic affairs?  Does it not overshadow the objectivity of a state?" Stressing the incidents going on in Taksim for over 3 weeks now were not a coincidence, Bozdag said the protests were well planned with "scenarists, actors, as well as directors and sponsors." "Protests across Turkey and even in the world started simultaneously," Bozdag said, adding, "there is also the international media which is delighted about the incidents in Turkey and they show the protests as if there were a civil war and the government was about to fall. On the other hand, people from politics and art circles become a part of the protests. You cannot say, therefore, all of those are just coincidence." Bozdag said the main target in Gezi Park protests was Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and added that the aim of the protests were to overthrow the government and "building barricades between the prime minister and the citizens."   "All the dirty games played on Turkey will be spoiled," Bozdag said.   In response to a question over the cover of German magazine Der Spiegel's upcoming edition flashing a photograph of a Gezi Park protester holding a banner that read "Don't Give In", Bozdag, "those who read that instruction on the journal are free to obey it or not. We, indeed, would like to see who obeys it and who does not."