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"But foremost, I do not subscribe to the view that Islamic culture and democracy cannot be reconciled."
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Explore more quotes by 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."
"However, democracy cannot be defined as the existence of parliaments and elections alone."
"Therefore, the observation must be explicitly made: In the Middle East and in the Muslim world, suspicions linger concerning the objectives of the West and notably the US."
"There exists an unmistakable demand in the Middle East and in the wider Muslim world for democratization."
"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."
"It is obvious that putting the Arab-Israeli dispute on a resolution track would be an important element of overcoming the confidence problem in the region."
"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."
"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 confidence problem exists on the part of the people of the region who desire democratic rule in principle, but remain suspicious of both the fashion with which democratization is presented and the purposes of the democratic world."
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