Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has accused the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) of trying provoke tense riots in the country.

Speaking at an inauguration ceremony for a new extension building to the Ottoman Archives on Sunday afternoon, Erdoğan said Turkey has been experiencing unfortunate “provocations” for the past few days. “Like with past governments, we are again witnessing efforts to create chaos to subdue the government. The main opposition and others, who understood that they will not gain a victory at the ballot box, are provoking these protests,” Erdoğan said.

Later Erdoğan asked: “Who will pay for the shattered glass, broken window frames? Is it going to be the CHP, who supported those who terrorized the city?”

Erdoğan was referring to demonstrations that began in İstanbul days ago in protest of the demolition of Gezi Park in the city's central Taksim Square.

The prime minister insisted that the controversial urbanization of the Taksim park will continue and that the planned Topçu Barracks replica will be built over it, whether the protestors like it or not. He said the government will also build an opera building and a mosque in Taksim. “We don't need the CHP's permission for that. We already have the permission of those who voted for us.”

The prime minister also responded to allegations that he has been provocative in his speeches regarding the Gezi protests, saying: “I am only a servant. I have no use for provoking [anyone].”

Erdoğan said the Ottoman Archives, which will consist of official documents from the Ottoman era, most of which have been digitized, will bridge the gap between the country's younger generations and its Ottoman past. 

Cihan