Azerbaijan, Baku, June 11 / Trend R. Hafizoglu /
The Turkish protests are directed against the economy and politics of the country, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was quoted today by TRT Haber TV channel as saying.
Erdogan said four people were killed during the riots. One of them was a policeman.
He added that the protesters do not realise the amount of the damage made to the country's economy and tourism as a result of the protests.
According to Erdogan, about 80 per cent of reservations were cancelled due to the protests in Turkey.
"The government must not remain silent when the radical groups are damaging the country's economy," Erdogan said. He also urged that the protests cease.
Protests against the reconstruction of Gezi Park on Taksim Square in Istanbul have lasted for more than 10 days. Istanbul police blocked the roads leading to the Taksim Square this morning where several groups of people continued protesting.
Earlier, Istanbul's governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu said the police will not use force against protesters on Taksim Square
He added that the purpose of the police is to clean the area from the anti-government posters and remove the barricades.
Earlier, it was reported that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet with representatives of the Taksim Square protesters on June 12.