Recep Tayyip Erdogan Quotes

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Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Profession : Politician

Birth : February 26, 1954

Before anything else, I'm a Muslim. As a Muslim, I try to comply with the requirements of my religion. I have a responsibility to God, who created me, and I try to fulfill that responsibility. But I try now very much to keep this away from my political life, to keep it private.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

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.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

I should like to repeat what I stated recently in the Jeddah Economic Forum in Saudi Arabia: It won't be the religion, but rather the world-view of some of its followers that shall be made current.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

It is impossible to preserve my friendship with people who are allegedly leaders when they are attacking their own people, shooting at them, using tanks and other forms of heavy weaponry.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

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

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.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

There is no Kurdish problem.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

The Kurdish problem is not only the problem of one part of my nation: it is a problem of every one of us, including myself.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Even in the Western world, one cannot argue that the ideal has been achieved given the existence of issues like the integration, participation and representation of Muslim citizens, and occasional but lingering anti-Semitism.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

The PKK is the number one threat in terms of terror in our country.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Your targets can only be realized on the basis of dreams.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Turkey will be in Cyprus forever.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

So far, I have not come to any of the positions that I have filled through wanting to be there. I was sought - people wanted me to come to those posts. I am talking about all my positions: mayor of Istanbul, chairman of the party, prime minister.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

A political party cannot have a religion. Only individuals can. Otherwise, you'd be exploiting religion, and religion is so supreme that it cannot be exploited or taken advantage of.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

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.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

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.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

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

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Paramount is the need to secure human rights. The form of rule should be such that the citizen does not have to fear the State, but gives it direction and confidently participates in its administration.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

We have never done anything to stop freedom of expression or freedom of press.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

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

Recep Tayyip Erdogan