There is an English saying, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." Women often become these tough ones.

Concrete examples of successful women and their stories of achievement are the best inspiration and [means of] empowerment for other women to seek the heights in their professional career and take a leading role in society.

From day one, my mantra has been - and will continue to be - that as a government we were there to serve the people, not the other way around.

I don't subscribe to that school of thought that leadership can be altogether defined by gender.

I am a person of action. If I see I can bring a positive change, I will go for it, never mind that something might be hard to achieve.

We do not have many women leaders in the world. But if you look at the current examples, most of those few female leaders that we have today lead their countries under the pressure of difficult political and economic circumstances. They all posses strong personalities and have real political influence on the domestic and international scene.

Women always look for a peaceful solution to a conflict. They are more sensible when they go for compromise or when they stand by their position. They are ready to listen to different views, to hear all the voices in society.