Abdullah Gül
Encyclopedia
Dr. Abdullah Gül, GCB (Hon.)
(abduɫˈɫɑh ˈɟyɫ; born 29 October 1950) is the 11th and current President of the Republic of Turkey
, serving in that office since 28 August 2007. He previously served for four months as Prime Minister
from 2002-03, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2003-07.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
's nomination of Gül as a presidential candidate drew strong and highly vocal opposition from ardent supporters of secularism in Turkey
. In May 2007, Gül's first bid for presidency was blocked by the Constitutional Court, due to concern over views Gül expressed during his Welfare Party
years, and the fact that his wife, Hayrünnisa
, wears a headscarf. However, following the parliamentary elections
in July of the same year, which were won by the Justice and Development Party
with 46.6% of the popular vote, he was eventually elected President on 28 August 2007 and was sworn in the same day, becoming the first openly devout Muslim President in the modern history of Turkey.
, a city in central Anatolia
. His father is Ahmed Hamdi Gül, a retired air force mechanic, and his mother is Adviye Gül (née
Satoğlu). His family has lived in the Güllük district of Kayseri for about a century. His ancestry/ethnicity according to a Çankaya Presidential Residence
statement is "Turkish Muslim." Gül was also called with the name Cumhur
(which means 'people') by his family.
at the Istanbul University
. During his graduate education, he studied for two years in London
and Exeter
in the United Kingdom
. He pursued an academic career after that and worked at the higher education facilities in Adapazarı
, collaborating in the establishment of the Department for Industrial Engineering
and teaching Management courses at the ITU Sakarya Engineering Faculty
, which later became the Sakarya University
in 1992. He received a Ph.D.
degree from the Istanbul University in 1983. He is also conferred to an Honorary Ph.D degree from AMITY University
, NOIDA -India on February 8, 2009, and Doctor of Law degree from University of Dhaka
on February 13, 2010. Between 1983 and 1991, he worked at the Islamic Development Bank
(IDB) in Jeddah
, Saudi Arabia
. In 1991, he became a lecturer in International Management.
Millî Türk Talebe Birliği (National Turkish Students' Union) in the line of Necip Fazıl
's Büyük Doğu (Grand Orient) current.
He was elected a member of the Turkish parliament
for the Refah Partisi (RP, "the Welfare Party
") from Kayseri Province
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”. These statements caused controversy when his candidacy for the 2007 presidential election was announced by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
.
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. As such, he was among the founders of the Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (Justice and Development Party
), a party which billed itself as a moderate conservative party in the European tradition. He was elected once again to represent Kayseri in 2002.
(AKP) won the most votes in the November 2002 general election
, Gül was appointed Prime Minister, as AK Party leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
was unable to assume the role due to a ban on his participation in politics. After Gül's government secured legislation allowing Erdoğan's return to politics, the latter took over as prime minister on 14 March 2003. Gül was appointed deputy prime minister and foreign minister.
and in its attempts to improve relations with Syria
and maintaining its relationship with the Turkic
-speaking countries of Central Asia
and the Caucasus
. On February 6, 2007, Gül flew to the United States to meet with U.S. President
George W. Bush
and U.S. Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice
.
announced on 24 April 2007 that Gül would be the Justice and Development Party candidate in the 2007 presidential election
. Previously, there had been speculation that Erdoğan himself would be the party's candidate, which had provoked substantial opposition from secularists. When a boycott of opposition parties in Parliament deadlocked the election process, Gül formally withdrew his candidacy on 6 May 2007. If elected he would be the first president to have been involved with Islamist parties.
But a few days later, on 11 May 2007 when he inquired after the alterations to the Turkish constitution which now allowed the people to elect the president directly rather than a parliamentary vote, Gül announced that he was still intending to run.
Following the July 2007 parliamentary election, the AK Party renominated Gül as its presidential candidate on August 13; the election was again held as a vote of parliament. On 14 August, Gül submitted his candidacy application to parliament and expressed his commitment to secularism at a news conference.
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. The process was a very low-key affair. 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. This approach continued; 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.
His presidency has been described as a "new era in Turkish politics", for being the first devout Muslim president of Turkey.
Gül received messages of congratulation from the US, EU and German authorities while Turkish prime minister Tayyip Erdoğan made a statement saying "a structure doomed to uncertainty has been overcome" (an oblique reference to the deep state
theory that Turkey is ruled behind-closed-doors by a secret conspiracy of soldiers and bureaucrats).
In September 2008 he became the first Turkish leader to visit Armenia
, sparking a major debate in Turkey.
who also originates from Kayseri. The couple have three children. He is a fan of the football
club Beşiktaş J.K.
of Istanbul
.
Abdullah Gül
1983–1991
Dr. Abdullah Gül
1991–1996
Associate Professor Doctor Abdullah Gül, MP
1996–2002
Associate Professor Doctor Abdullah Gül, Minister of State of the Republic of Turkey
2002–2003
His Excellency Associate Professor Doctor Abdullah Gül, 58th Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey
2003–2007
His Excellency Associate Professor Doctor Abdullah Gül, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey
2007-Current
His Excellency Associate Professor Doctor Abdullah Gül, 11th President of the Republic of Turkey.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(abduɫˈɫɑh ˈɟyɫ; born 29 October 1950) is the 11th and current President of the Republic of Turkey
President of Turkey
The President of Turkey is the head of state of the Republic of Turkey. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office but has some important functions...
, serving in that office since 28 August 2007. He previously served for four months as Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Turkey
The Prime Minister of the Turkey is the head of government in Turkish politics. The prime minister is the leader of a political coalition in the Turkish parliament and the leader of the cabinet....
from 2002-03, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2003-07.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been Prime Minister of Turkey since 2003 and is chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party , which holds a majority of the seats in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Erdoğan served as Mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998. He graduated in 1981 from Marmara...
's nomination of Gül as a presidential candidate drew strong and highly vocal opposition from ardent supporters of secularism in Turkey
Secularism in Turkey
Secularism in Turkey defines the relationship between religion and state in the country of Turkey. Secularism was first introduced with the 1928 amendment of the Constitution of 1924, which removed the provision declaring that the "Religion of the State is Islam", and with the later reforms of...
. In May 2007, Gül's first bid for presidency was blocked by the Constitutional Court, due to concern over views Gül expressed during his Welfare Party
Welfare Party
The Welfare Party was an Islamist political party in Turkey. It was founded by Ali Türkmen, Ahmet Tekdal and Necmettin Erbakan in Ankara in 1983 as heir to two earlier parties, Milli Nizam Partisi and Milli Selamet Partisi , which were banned from politics...
years, and the fact that his wife, Hayrünnisa
Hayrünnisa Gül
Hayrünnisa Gül is the current First Lady of Turkey. She married Abdullah Gül, the current President of Turkey, on August 20, 1980.They have two sons and one daughter ....
, wears a headscarf. However, following the parliamentary elections
Turkish general election, 2007
Turkey's 16th general election was held on July 22, 2007 and resulted in a resounding victory for the incumbent Justice and Development Party...
in July of the same year, which were won by the Justice and Development Party
Justice and Development Party (Turkey)
The Justice and Development Party , abbreviated JDP in English and AK PARTİ or AKP in Turkish, is a centre-right political party in Turkey. The party is the largest in Turkey, with 327 members of parliament...
with 46.6% of the popular vote, he was eventually elected President on 28 August 2007 and was sworn in the same day, becoming the first openly devout Muslim President in the modern history of Turkey.
Early life
President Gül was born in KayseriKayseri
Kayseri is a large and industrialized city in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It is the seat of Kayseri Province. The city of Kayseri, as defined by the boundaries of Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality, is structurally composed of five metropolitan districts, the two core districts of Kocasinan and...
, a city in central Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
. His father is Ahmed Hamdi Gül, a retired air force mechanic, and his mother is Adviye Gül (née
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Satoğlu). His family has lived in the Güllük district of Kayseri for about a century. His ancestry/ethnicity according to a Çankaya Presidential Residence
Çankaya Köskü
Çankaya Köşkü or Çankaya Köşk is the official residence of the President of Turkey. It is located in the Çankaya district of Ankara, which lends its name to the palace. The name is sometimes used as a metonymy for the current president. The Çankaya Presidential Compound stretches over of land...
statement is "Turkish Muslim." Gül was also called with the name Cumhur
Cumhur
Cumhur is a Turkish given name for males. People named Cumhur include:* Abdullah Gül , President of the Republic of Turkey, has been known as Cumhur* Cumhur Oranci , Turkish writer* Cumhur Yılmaztürk , Turkish footballer...
(which means 'people') by his family.
Education
Gül studied EconomicsEconomics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
at the Istanbul University
Istanbul University
Istanbul University is a Turkish university located in Istanbul. The main campus is adjacent to Beyazıt Square.- Synopsis :A madrasa, a religious school, was established sometime in the 15th century after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople. An institution of higher education named the...
. During his graduate education, he studied for two years in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. He pursued an academic career after that and worked at the higher education facilities in Adapazarı
Adapazari
Adapazarı is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of Sakarya Province. The province itself was originally named Adapazarı as well. Adapazarı is a part of the densely populated region of the country, known as the Marmara Region. As of 2010, the city has a population of 560,876 ...
, collaborating in the establishment of the Department for Industrial Engineering
Industrial engineering
Industrial engineering is a branch of engineering dealing with the optimization of complex processes or systems. It is concerned with the development, improvement, implementation and evaluation of integrated systems of people, money, knowledge, information, equipment, energy, materials, analysis...
and teaching Management courses at the ITU Sakarya Engineering Faculty
Sakarya University
Sakarya University is located in Sakarya, Turkey. It is one of the most popular universities of Turkey. Since there is a large student body, the city of Sakarya is influenced by the university. It was founded as Sakarya Engineering and Architecture in 1970. It renamed as Sakarya State Engineering...
, which later became the Sakarya University
Sakarya University
Sakarya University is located in Sakarya, Turkey. It is one of the most popular universities of Turkey. Since there is a large student body, the city of Sakarya is influenced by the university. It was founded as Sakarya Engineering and Architecture in 1970. It renamed as Sakarya State Engineering...
in 1992. He received a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
degree from the Istanbul University in 1983. He is also conferred to an Honorary Ph.D degree from AMITY University
Amity University
Amity University is a private university in Noida, India established under an Uttar Pradesh state government act....
, NOIDA -India on February 8, 2009, and Doctor of Law degree from University of Dhaka
University of Dhaka
The University of Dhaka is the oldest university in Bangladesh. It is a multi-disciplinary research university and is among the top universities in the region. Established on July 21, 1921, as per the Government of India Act, 1920, it was modelled on the Universities in England and soon gained...
on February 13, 2010. Between 1983 and 1991, he worked at the Islamic Development Bank
Islamic Development Bank
The Islamic Development Bank is a multilateral development financing institution located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was founded by the first conference of Finance Ministers of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference , convened 23 Dhu'l Qa'dah 1393 AH.The bank officially began its activities on...
(IDB) in Jeddah
Jeddah
Jeddah, Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda is a city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. In 1991, he became a lecturer in International Management.
Entry into politics
Gül became acquainted with right-wing politics early during his high school years. During his university education, he became a member of the Islamist-nationalistTurkish nationalism
Turkish nationalism is a political ideology that promotes and glorifies the Turkish people, as either a national, ethnic or linguistic group and puts the interests of the state over other influences, including religious ones.-Pan-Turkism:...
Millî Türk Talebe Birliği (National Turkish Students' Union) in the line of Necip Fazıl
Necip Fazil Kisakürek
Ahmet Necip Fazıl Kısakürek was a Turkish poet, novelist, playwright, philosopher and activist. He is also known with his initials NFK...
's Büyük Doğu (Grand Orient) current.
He was elected a member of the Turkish parliament
Grand National Assembly of Turkey
The Grand National Assembly of Turkey , usually referred to simply as the Meclis , is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Constitution. It was founded in Ankara on 23 April 1920 in the midst of the Turkish War of Independence...
for the Refah Partisi (RP, "the Welfare Party
Welfare Party
The Welfare Party was an Islamist political party in Turkey. It was founded by Ali Türkmen, Ahmet Tekdal and Necmettin Erbakan in Ankara in 1983 as heir to two earlier parties, Milli Nizam Partisi and Milli Selamet Partisi , which were banned from politics...
") from Kayseri Province
Kayseri Province
The Kayseri Province , in central Turkey, is an area that has been linked with mythological stories as well as important figures in Turkish history. It is located in Anatolia, and surrounded by the Mount Erciyes, the Mount Hasan and the Mount Ali...
in 1991 and 1995. During these years, he made statements about the political system of Turkey that was designed by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was an Ottoman and Turkish army officer, revolutionary statesman, writer, and the first President of Turkey. He is credited with being the founder of the Republic of Turkey....
and the Turkish National Movement
Turkish National Movement
The Turkish National Movement encompasses the political and military activities of the Turkish revolutionaries which resulted in the creation and shaping of the Republic of Turkey, as a consequence of the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I....
, which included "This is the end of the republican period" and "The secular system has failed and we definitely want to change it”. These statements caused controversy when his candidacy for the 2007 presidential election was announced by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been Prime Minister of Turkey since 2003 and is chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party , which holds a majority of the seats in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Erdoğan served as Mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998. He graduated in 1981 from Marmara...
.
In 1999, he kept his seat as a member of the Fazilet Partisi (FP, "the Virtue Party
Virtue Party
Virtue Party was an Islamist political party established in December 1998 in Turkey. It was found unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court and then banned in June 2001, for violating the secularist articles of the Constitution...
") 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. As such, he was among the founders of the Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (Justice and Development Party
Justice and Development Party (Turkey)
The Justice and Development Party , abbreviated JDP in English and AK PARTİ or AKP in Turkish, is a centre-right political party in Turkey. The party is the largest in Turkey, with 327 members of parliament...
), a party which billed itself as a moderate conservative party in the European tradition. He was elected once again to represent Kayseri in 2002.
AKP career
Prime Minister
After the Justice and Development PartyJustice and Development Party (Turkey)
The Justice and Development Party , abbreviated JDP in English and AK PARTİ or AKP in Turkish, is a centre-right political party in Turkey. The party is the largest in Turkey, with 327 members of parliament...
(AKP) won the most votes in the November 2002 general election
Turkish general election, 2002
Turkey's 15th general election was held on November 3, 2002 following the collapse of the DSP-MHP-ANAP coalition led by Bülent Ecevit. It was won by the Justice and Development Party , led by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, producing a crushing majority in spite of their winning just 34.3% of the national vote...
, Gül was appointed Prime Minister, as AK Party leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been Prime Minister of Turkey since 2003 and is chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party , which holds a majority of the seats in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Erdoğan served as Mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998. He graduated in 1981 from Marmara...
was unable to assume the role due to a ban on his participation in politics. After Gül's government secured legislation allowing Erdoğan's return to politics, the latter took over as prime minister on 14 March 2003. Gül was appointed deputy prime minister and foreign minister.
Foreign minister
After becoming foreign minister in March 2003, Gül became the key player in Turkey's attempts to receive an accession date for the European UnionEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and in its attempts to improve relations with Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and maintaining its relationship with the Turkic
Turkic languages
The Turkic languages constitute a language family of at least thirty five languages, spoken by Turkic peoples across a vast area from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean to Siberia and Western China, and are considered to be part of the proposed Altaic language family.Turkic languages are spoken...
-speaking countries of Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
and the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
. On February 6, 2007, Gül flew to the United States to meet with U.S. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and U.S. Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
.
Presidency
Prime Minister ErdoğanRecep Tayyip Erdogan
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been Prime Minister of Turkey since 2003 and is chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party , which holds a majority of the seats in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Erdoğan served as Mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998. He graduated in 1981 from Marmara...
announced on 24 April 2007 that Gül would be the Justice and Development Party candidate in the 2007 presidential election
Turkish presidential election, 2007
The 2007 Turkish presidential election refers to two attempts to elect the country's 11th president, to succeed Ahmet Necdet Sezer. The most likely candidate for president was Abdullah Gül...
. Previously, there had been speculation that Erdoğan himself would be the party's candidate, which had provoked substantial opposition from secularists. When a boycott of opposition parties in Parliament deadlocked the election process, Gül formally withdrew his candidacy on 6 May 2007. If elected he would be the first president to have been involved with Islamist parties.
But a few days later, on 11 May 2007 when he inquired after the alterations to the Turkish constitution which now allowed the people to elect the president directly rather than a parliamentary vote, Gül announced that he was still intending to run.
Following the July 2007 parliamentary election, the AK Party renominated Gül as its presidential candidate on August 13; the election was again held as a vote of parliament. On 14 August, Gül submitted his candidacy application to parliament and expressed his commitment to secularism at a news conference.
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. The process was a very low-key affair. Gül's swearing-in was not attended by the Chief of the Turkish General Staff
Chief of the Turkish General Staff
The General Staff of the Republic of Turkey presides over the Armed Forces of the Republic of Turkey, comprising the Army, Navy and Air Force...
and was boycotted by the opposition Republican People's Party
Republican People's Party (Turkey)
The Republican People's Party is a centre-left Kemalist political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of Turkey and is currently Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to...
; then the hand-over of power at the presidential palace was held behind closed doors. Gül's wife was not present. This approach continued; 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.
His presidency has been described as a "new era in Turkish politics", for being the first devout Muslim president of Turkey.
Gül received messages of congratulation from the US, EU and German authorities while Turkish prime minister Tayyip Erdoğan made a statement saying "a structure doomed to uncertainty has been overcome" (an oblique reference to the deep state
Deep state
The Deep state is alleged to be a group of influential anti-democratic coalitions within the Turkish political system, composed of high-level elements within the intelligence services , Turkish military, security, judiciary, and mafia. The notion of deep state is similar to that of a "state within...
theory that Turkey is ruled behind-closed-doors by a secret conspiracy of soldiers and bureaucrats).
In September 2008 he became the first Turkish leader to visit Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
, sparking a major debate in Turkey.
Personal life
On August 20, 1980, Abdullah Gül married Hayrünnisa ÖzyurtHayrünnisa Gül
Hayrünnisa Gül is the current First Lady of Turkey. She married Abdullah Gül, the current President of Turkey, on August 20, 1980.They have two sons and one daughter ....
who also originates from Kayseri. The couple have three children. He is a fan of the football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club Beşiktaş J.K.
Besiktas J.K.
Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü , or simply Beşiktaş , is a Turkish sports club. The club's football team is one of the major teams in Turkey. The professional sports club, founded in 1903, is based in the Beşiktaş district in Istanbul, Turkey...
of Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
.
Full Style
1950–1983Abdullah Gül
1983–1991
Dr. Abdullah Gül
1991–1996
Associate Professor Doctor Abdullah Gül, MP
1996–2002
Associate Professor Doctor Abdullah Gül, Minister of State of the Republic of Turkey
2002–2003
His Excellency Associate Professor Doctor Abdullah Gül, 58th Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey
2003–2007
His Excellency Associate Professor Doctor Abdullah Gül, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey
2007-Current
His Excellency Associate Professor Doctor Abdullah Gül, 11th President of the Republic of Turkey.
Decorations and awards
- United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
– Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Civil Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (14 May 2008) - Saudi ArabiaSaudi ArabiaThe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
– Order of King AbdulazizIbn Saud of Saudi ArabiaKing Abdul-Aziz of Saudi Arabia was the first monarch of the Third Saudi State known as Saudi Arabia. He was commonly referred to as Ibn Saud....
(2007) - PortugalPortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
– Grand Collar Order of Prince Henry (Ordem do Infante Dom Henrique)Order of Prince Henry (Ordem do Infante Dom Henrique)The Order of Prince Henry the Navigator is a Portuguese National Order of Knighthood created on June 2, 1960, to commemorate the fifth centenary of the death of the Infante Henry the Navigator , fifth son of King John I of Portugal and his queen, Philippa of Lancaster...
(GColIH) (12 May 2009) - PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
– Nishan-e-PakistanNishan-e-PakistanThe Nishan-e-Pakistan is the highest of civil awards and decorations given by the Government of Pakistan for the highest degree of service to the country and nation of Pakistan... - ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
– National Decoration - KuwaitKuwaitThe State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
– National Decoration - CameroonCameroonCameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
– National Decoration - QatarQatarQatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
– National Decoration - President Abdullah Gül has been voted the winner of the Chatham House Prize 2010Chatham House PrizeThe annual Chatham House Prize is awarded to the statesperson who is deemed by Chatham House members to have made the most significant contribution to the improvement of international relations in the previous year...
(19 March 2010)