Quotes from Recep Tayyip Erdogan

A lasting solution to this problem will have an exceptionally positive influence foremost on the peoples of Palestine and Israel, as well as on the region and the international community.

My legal bond with the A.K.P. may have ended the day I took the presidential oath of office, but my bonds of love have never ended and never will.

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

Among leaders in Europe there are those who have prejudices against Turkey, like France and Germany.

We, as Turkey, call on Europe to respect human rights and democracy.

My nation wants the death penalty. That is the decision of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.

Turkey will be in Cyprus forever.

Turkey is a sovereign state, just like the U.S. We might go to different directions, in terms of our impressions and ideas, but we'll always remain friends.

We have a very significant number of Jewish citizens, and they have always been safe and secure where they are in Turkey.

The E.U. should want Turkey to be part of it.

We're really willing to see more and more U.S. entrepreneurs conducting investments in Turkey. I'm optimistic for the future.

If the E.U. is going to make Turkey a full member, we are ready.

Why shouldn't Turkey be in the Shanghai Five?

Attempts by one ethnic group to exercise sovereignty over another are not fair. It doesn't matter if that ethnicity is Kurdish, Turkish, Arabic, Chaldean or whatever.

Turkey wants to be treated by the same standards as other countries. If you compare us to some other newly accepted EU members our performance, especially in terms of the economy, is much better.

A woman who abstains from motherhood saying 'I am working' means she is in fact rejecting motherhood.

If you're the leader, you have to communicate the message of immortality to your people. Because I believe if a leader hides behind a rock, then the people will hide behind a mountain.

Family planning, birth control, no Muslim family can practice such an understanding.

In the process of the Arab Spring, we have unfortunately seen a development in Syria where the regime has been oppressing its people.

The US and the European Union needs to help in the translation of the demand for democracy into a political will.

Turkey must feel at ease. It mustn't say, 'For me, it's the European Union at all costs.' That's my view.

If the European Union wants to be an address where civilizations meet, it must take Turkey in.

The purpose cannot be creating self-styled democracies, but rather encouraging steps that are conducive to establishing democratic rule at universal standards. Obviously, this would be a formidable journey.

Islam is a religion. It is not an ideology. For a Muslim, there is no such thing as to be against modernity. Why should a Muslim not be a modern person? I, as a Muslim, fulfill all the requirements of my religion, and I live in a democratic, social state.