Güncelleme Tarihi:
"I am not a diplomat but a politician. If diplomats harm the national interests with their soft diplomatic tone, then I do not want such diplomacy. My diplomats should be able to take their rights from the mouths of lions," Erdogan told at his Justice and Development Party's parliamentary group meeting.
Erdogan came under the spotlight both in
Erdogan's reaction garnered widespread public support but some former diplomats and experts criticized him for breaching the basic principles of diplomacy.
The Turkish prime minister defended his reaction, saying his behavior was in line with diplomatic approaches; otherwise he could have reacted differently.
"The moderator cannot put his hand on the shoulder of a prime minister. This is impertinence. If I wasn't diplomatic, then I should have done something else. But I didn't," he said.
The Davos crisis escalated the tension between
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Erdogan said his reaction should not be misinterpreted and criticizing the actions of the Israeli government is not the same as being anti-Semitic.
"There has never been anti-Semitism in the history of this country... The people of this country have never seen the Jews as enemies. I believe we will not see such approaches in the future," he added.
Both the prime minister and other officials are in constant contact with the leaders of the Jewish community in
He said a common conscience arose for the
"This reaction honored everybody who is in favor of justice from
MEDIATOR ROLE
Erdogan also said U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon had phoned him on Monday to ask him to continue
"If a demand arises from the parties, we again would shoulder this mission (of mediation)," Erdogan told members of his party in parliament.
"The role of mediation does not prevent us from telling the truth. We don't voice our criticisms only to