ISTANBUL
Turkey's experience in democratic change serves as a peaceful and progressive example, said Mohammed al-Madhoun, Palestine's youth and sports minister.
"Turkey has become a modern example in democratic transformation," al-Madhoun told the third edition of the Arab-Turkish Congress of Social Sciences at Istanbul University.
"We can call it a bloodless and silent revolution, unlike what happened in many countries," he said.
Al-Madhun said democratic reforms in Turkey contributed to making it a well-respected country on the international arena, as well as giving it a role in the region and the Arab world.
"Ankara's position on the Palestine issue, its insistence on lifting the blockade on Gaza and securing an Israeli apology are indications of Turkey's perspective on the Arab world," he said.
-Erdogan's visit to Gaza-
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's much-anticipated visit to Gaza would serve to show the depth of the relations between the two countries, al-Madhun said.
"The visit would create opportunities for Turkish projects and investments in the region," he said.
"Israel's apology to Turkey is not the end, but the beginning," al-Madhun said of an official apology Israeli prime minister made in March over the May 2010 killing of nine Turkish nationals aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.
Formal apology was one of Turkey's key demands to restore relations with the Jewish state. Ankara also wanted compensation for the relatives of the victims and the lifting of restrictions on Gaza.
