Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, warned the country's citizens in remarks on Friday not to be “provoked,” after a wave of pro-Uighur protests in the country and attacks on Asian tourists and the Thai Consulate in İstanbul.

Davutoğlu, before his visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday, said even if there is a disagreement between countries, this disagreement should not affect the safety of the diplomatic missions or tourists, saying, “The tourists are our most precious guests.”

He continued by saying that dialogue mechanisms are open between China, Thailand and Turkey, and the Turkish government is in close contact with them. Referring to recent attacks on tourists and the consulates of the two countries, Davutoğlu said these types of provocations go against political ethics and citizens should be careful about reacting to provocative news.

Davutoğlu also reassured tourists who plan to visit Turkey and foreign diplomats in Turkey, saying: “You all have the security of life and property in Turkey. We will not tolerate these type of negative events.”

Protests have been held across Turkey over the last week to condemn bans reportedly imposed on fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, which target the predominantly Muslim Uighur people in China's far western region of Xinjiang, or East Turkistan as is known in Turkey. During the protests, a Chinese restaurant, its owner Turkish and its cook ironically Uighur, was vandalized, while a group of Korean tourists mistaken for Chinese citizens were attacked in İstanbul's historic Sultanahmet district.

A female tourist thought to be Chinese was assaulted by a group of protesters in Ankara on Thursday and the Thai honorary consulate in İstanbul was attacked by another group of protesters on Wednesday night.

On Thursday, police used tear gas to disperse about 100 protesters at the Chinese Embassy in the capital Ankara after they knocked down a barricade. Erdoğan: Timing of protests meaningful

The violent protests came as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan planned to visit China in late July.

Commenting on the issue at an iftar (fast-breaking) dinner that he hosted for foreign ambassadors on Thursday, Erdoğan pointed out that the timing of the claims about the Uighurs was "meaningful," as it happened just before his planned visit to China, and then said most of the reports about the plight of the Uighurs were not accurate.

"There has been increased public sensitivity after claims of oppression targeting our brothers in China's Xinjiang region. Incidents that we do not approve of have happened in İstanbul after stories, most of which are unfounded or manipulative, are circulated in the media," Erdoğan said during the iftar dinner.

"The safety of our East Asian guests is a matter of honor for us. These provocative incidents do not befit us. Do not be manipulated by provocateurs," Erdoğan said.