Abdullah Gül
Abdullah Gül | |
---|---|
Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
In office 14 March 2003 – 28 August 2007 | |
Prime Minister | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan |
Preceded by | Yaşar Yakış |
Succeeded by | Ali Babacan |
Minister of State | |
In office 28 June 1996 – 30 June 1997 | |
Prime Minister | Necmettin Erbakan |
Member of the Grand National Assembly | |
In office 20 October 1991 – 28 August 2007 | |
Constituency | Kayseri (1991, 1995, 1999, 2002, 2007) |
Personal details | |
Born | Independent (2007–present) | 29 October 1949
Other political affiliations |
|
Spouse | |
Children | Ahmed Münir Gül Mehmed Emre Gül Kübra Gül |
Alma mater | Istanbul University University of Exeter |
Signature | |
Website | Official website |
Abdullah Gül
Advocating staunch
Gül became Prime Minister after the AKP won a landslide victory in the
As President, Gül came under criticism for giving assent to controversial laws which have been regarded by the political opposition as
Since leaving office, Gül has progressively become more publicly critical of his successor, Erdoğan, and the democratic backsliding in Turkey. He was mooted as a potential joint opposition candidate in the 2018 Turkish presidential election, initially supported by the Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Felicity Party (SP). However, having failed to gain the support of the third major opposition party, namely the Good Party, Gül announced that he had taken his name out of consideration due to the lack of universal opposition-backing. He has since been involved, though not officially, with the Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA) of fellow former AKP member Ali Babacan.
Early life, education and early career
Gül was born in Kayseri, central Anatolia on 29 October 1949, the 26th anniversary of the proclamation of Turkish independence, also known as Republic Day in Turkey. His father is Ahmet Hamdi Gül (1926–2017), a retired air force mechanic whilst his mother is Adviye Satoğlu (born 1931), who is of Arab descent.[14][15]
Education
Gül studied Economics at
Entry into politics
Gül became acquainted with politics early during his high school years. During his university education, he became a member of the
He was elected a member of the Turkish parliament for the Refah Partisi (RP, "the Welfare Party") from the Kayseri electoral district in 1991 and 1995. During these years, he made statements about the political system of Turkey that was designed by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and the Turkish National Movement, which included "This is the end of the republican period" and "The secular system has failed and we definitely want to change it".[19] These statements caused controversy when his candidacy for the 2007 presidential election was announced by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.[20]
In 1999, he kept his seat as a member of the Fazilet Partisi (FP, "the Virtue Party") which was subsequently outlawed by the Constitutional Court for its violation of the Constitution. Its predecessor, the Refah Partisi, was also outlawed by the Constitutional Court for its violation of the Constitution, especially the principle of secularism. By this time, Gül had apparently moderated his views and was reportedly considered to be part of the Virtue Party's reformist faction. Since 1993 in Ankara, he had been organizing an informal think-tank involving a group of Refah politicians who were discontented with the leadership of Necmettin Erbakan: these included Melih Gökçek, Bülent Arınç, Abdüllatif Şener, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Beşir Atalay. In August 2001, this group founded the Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (Justice and Development Party), a party which billed itself as a moderate conservative party in the European tradition.[21] He was elected once again to represent Kayseri in 2002.[22]
An interview he gave in 2002 summarizes his criticisms of the Refah Partisi under the leadership of Necmettin Erbakan and his portrayal of the AKP as a moderate party:
In the Welfare Party, there were groups demanding sharia rule. Welfare did not represent the local values we are now cultivating. The ideology of the party was partially shaped by alien imports. [He was referring to the impact of the Islamist ideology of the Iranian Revolution and Arab states on Welfare's ideology.] Our vision was at odds with the rest of the party. The despotic rule of Erbakan Hoca made it impossible for us to realize our vision under the rubric of the National View. We believe that modernization and being Muslim complement each other. We accept the modern values of liberalism, human rights, and market economy.[23]
Prime minister
After the
Foreign minister
After becoming
Presidency (2007–2014)
Prime Minister
Following the July 2007 parliamentary election, the AKP renominated Gül as its presidential candidate on 13 August; the election was again held as a vote of parliament.[30] On 14 August, Gül submitted his candidacy application to parliament and expressed his commitment to secularism at a news conference.[31]
On 28 August 2007, he was elected president in the third round of voting; in the first two rounds, a two-thirds majority of MPs had been required, but in the third round he needed only a simple majority. Gül was sworn in immediately thereafter.[32] The process was a very low-key affair.[33]
Gül's swearing-in was not attended by the Chief of the Turkish General Staff and was boycotted by the opposition Republican People's Party; then the hand-over of power at the presidential palace was held behind closed doors. Gül's wife was not present. The traditional evening reception hosted by the new president at the presidential palace for the country's highest authorities was announced for 11:30 in the morning and wives were not invited.[34]
His presidency was described as a "new era in Turkish politics", for being the first president of Turkey with a background in Islamic politics.[35]
Gül received messages of congratulation from the US, EU and German authorities while Turkey's prime minister
In September 2008 Gül became the first Turkish leader to visit
In November 2013, Gül called on Muslim countries to fight against what he called Islamophobia during his address at the 29th session of the COMCEC in Istanbul. he said:
Islamophobia remains a critical problem, which instigates unsubstantial prejudices against our region and Muslims. Terror plays a role in the persistence of such problems. We have to combat any form of deviation playing into the hands of people who equate terrorism with Islam, the religion of love, tolerance and conciliation.[40]
Statements on the Middle East
Gül has been a critic of Israel and Western countries which established relations with Israel at the expense of Palestine.[41] After the Israeli raid on the MV Mavi Marmara in 2010, he advocated the complete ending of diplomatic relations with Israel, stating that "Israel will turn into a complete apartheid regime in the next 50 years if it does not allow for the establishment of an independent and proud Palestinian state with its capital in east Jerusalem. That is why we are exerting efforts to achieve a fair peace with a strategic point of view, which is to Israel's own interests."[42]
On 31 December 2012, he stated with respect to the
History of titles
- 1949–1983: Abdullah Gül
- 1983–1991: Dr. Abdullah Gül
- 1991–1996: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abdullah Gül, MP
- 1996–1997: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abdullah Gül, Minister of State of Turkey
- 2002: His Excellency Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abdullah Gül, Prime Minister of Turkey
- 2002–2007: His Excellency Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abdullah Gül, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey
- 2007–2014: His Excellency Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abdullah Gül, President of the Republic of Turkey[45]
Honors and medals
National honors
Ribbon bar | Award or decoration | Country | Date | Place | Note | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Medal of Honor of the Republic of Turkey | Turkey | 28 August 2014 | Ankara | [46][47] |
Foreign honors
Ribbon bar | Award or decoration | Country | Date | Place | Note | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pro Merito medal by European Council | European Union | 2002 | Brussels | [48] | ||
Member 1st Class Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud
|
Saudi Arabia | 9 November 2007 | Ankara | The order was named after Abdulaziz Al Saud. | [49] | |
Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath | United Kingdom | 13 May 2008 | Ankara | British order of chivalry. | [50] | |
Medal "10 years of Astana" | Kazakhstan | 4 July 2008 | Astana | [51] | ||
Grand Cordon of the Order of Independence | Qatar | 17 August 2009 | Istanbul | [48][52] | ||
Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry | Portugal | 12 May 2009 | Ankara | Portuguese National Order of Knighthood .
|
[53] | |
Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic | Italy | 17 November 2009 | Ankara | The highest ranking honor of the Italian Republic
|
||
Collar of the Order of Mubarak the Great | Kuwait | 21 December 2009 | Kuwait City | |||
2010 Chatham House Prize
|
United Kingdom | 20 March 2010 | London | Gul awarded "Statesman of the Year" by Queen Elizabeth II .
|
[54] | |
Grand Cordon of the Order of Valour | Cameroon | 16 March 2010 | Yaoundé | Second highest order in Cameroon. | ||
Nishan-e-Pakistan | Pakistan | 31 March 2010 | Islamabad | Pakistan's highest civil order. | [55] | |
Grand Cross with Chain Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary
|
Hungary | 15 November 2011 | Ankara | The highest state order and second class of Hungary. | ||
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion | The Netherlands | 16 April 2012 | Amsterdam | Netherlands' Lion, established in 1815. | ||
Recipient of the Order of the Golden Eagle | Kazakhstan | 11 October 2012 | Ankara | The highest decoration of Kazakhstan. | ||
Knight of the Order of the Seraphim | Sweden | 11 March 2013 | Stockholm | The highest order awarded by Swedish Royalty
|
||
Member of St. George's Order of Victory | Georgia | 19 April 2013 | Ankara | Second highest state decoration awarded by President of Georgia. | [56] | |
Recipient of the Star of President Order | Turkmenistan | 29 May 2013 | Ashgabat | The first order given to foreign president in Turkmenistan. | [57] | |
Grand Cross with Collar of Order of St. Olav | Norway | 5 November 2013 | Ankara | The highest ranking honor of the Kingdom of Norway .
|
||
Recipient of the Heydar Aliyev Order | Azerbaijan | 12 November 2013 | Ankara | The highest national order of Azerbaijan. | [58] | |
Knight of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau | Luxembourg | 18 November 2013 | Ankara | The highest national order in Luxembourg. | [59] | |
Magtymguly International Prize | Turkmenistan | 3 June 2014 | Ankara | [60] | ||
Recipient of the Order of the State of Northern Cyprus | Northern Cyprus | 19 July 2014 | Northern Nicosia
|
The highest national order in Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus .
|
[61][62] | |
Recipient of the Danaker Order | Kyrgyzstan | 8 September 2014 | Istanbul | The highest national order in Kyrgyzstan. | [63][64] |
See also
- Çankaya Köşkü
- List of presidential trips made by Abdullah Gül
- Abdullah Gul Interchange
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{{cite web}}
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