Turkish President Abdullah Gul, a staunch supporter of Ankara’s EU perspective and the democratization this has been bringing to the country, is expressing alarm over the negative image of Turkey that is emerging internationally due to the anti-government protests that have been raging for over three weeks now.

Talking to reporters after a promotional gathering at the presidential palace in Ankara on June 18, Gul was asked if he had evidence that the latest events in Turkey were “part of a great game being played against the country,” as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ministers are claiming.

Gul said these events “had shaken everyone” and added, “There are undoubtedly lessons for everyone. Now everyone has to pull themselves together, otherwise we will begin to harm ourselves. You can spend 10 years building up an image but destroy it in one week.”

Gul, whose remarks were disseminated widely by the Turkish media, went on to warn that concerns are also increasing among foreign investors over Turkey at a time when the country is issuing international tenders for massive infrastructure projects and vying for major events like the Olympics.