Famous quotes by Recep Tayyip Erdogan:

"[Turkey seized on the German result to call on its opponents in Europe to] reconsider ... It was an auspicious result for the EU process. It was a campaign which proved how negative it was to offer 'privileged partnership' to Turkey. This surprise result ... should lead politicians to rethink their policies."

"We have taken another giant step in our march toward Europe, ... The journey will be fraught with difficulties, and should Europe abide by its promises ? our success will then largely depend on you, the Turkish people."

"end up a Christian club."

"We passed the most important phase on the way to reaching our 40-year goal and the founding principles of our republic, ... The document is satisfactory. I am happy to say that common sense prevailed."

"We know of the nature of the regime in Syria. We constantly try to inspire them toward more democracy, but playing with Syria would be dangerous and could prove to be a worse situation than Iraq."

"What did this person become famous for? ... We have programs at the moment that follow a trend that contradicts the traditions and family structure of Turkey, which is a country with a 98 percent Muslim population. I am worried about this."

"Bird flu is totally under control, ... The outbreak ... occurred in one area and has been contained. Of course, we need to be careful, we need to do our homework well."

"If everybody knows what his or her duty is then we will be more beneficial to our country. Everyone should know his or her place and duty, and fulfill what he or she is obliged to do thereby."

"We will do whatever is possible to assist you in this crisis,"

"My wish is this -- the world is using resources for armaments, they should also put aside resources for such disasters,"

"Similarly, it is argued that the culture of Islam is incompatible with democracy. Basically, this conventional perspective of the Middle East thus contends that democracy in that region is neither possible nor even desirable."

"Similarly, gender-equality, supremacy of law, political participation, civil society, and transparency are among the indispensable elements that are the imperatives of democratization."

"According to this view, democracy is a product of western culture, and it cannot be applied to the Middle East which has a different cultural, religious, sociological and historical background."

"I take the debate on the method of promoting democracy seriously."

"Even as we ought to accept that each country would progress with a different method and speed toward that goal, the standard for the expected end-state should not be lowered."

"A fitting external security environment could also play an important role in promoting social consensus and institutionalization towards democratization."

"Therefore, the question is not whether such democratization is possible, but instead how to meet the yearning of the masses in the Middle East for democracy; in other words, how to achieve democratization in the Middle East."

"My visit to the United States has also given me the opportunity to emphasize the objective of establishing close and intensive links between the Turkish and American peoples, scholars and businessmen."

"Several experts on the Middle East concur that the Middle East cannot be democratized."

"However, democracy cannot be defined as the existence of parliaments and elections alone."