Turkey's Jews are under my protection: Turkish PM

ISTANBUL

AA Photo

Turkey’s prime minister has sought to reassure the country’s Jewish community, saying they are under his protection, Anatolia news agency reported.
 
Two American-Jewish men approached Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan yesterday while he was attending the Rio 20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development to ask him "to protect" Jewish people living in Turkey.
 
"Under my leadership, the Jewish community in Turkey is safe," Erdoğan said. "They are under my protection. We see [Jewish people] as brothers."
 
The American-Jewish men then asked the prime minister what he thought about the people of Israel.
 
"We have no problem with the Israeli people," Erdoğan said. "Our problem is the aggressive behavior of the Israeli government. We have to find solutions to problems in the Middle East. The Israelis have to treat the Palestinians better."