On Wednesday 13 September 2006 Mr Yaşar Yakiş, Former Foreign Minister for Turkey and Chairman of the EU Commission in the Turkish Parliament, will be speaking on "Strategic benefits for the EU from Turkish membership". This event will take place from 1.30pm.
Mr Yakiş joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1962. He served at various posts at the Turkish Consulate General in Belgium and Turkish Embassy in Lagos, Nigeria. He attended the NATO Defense College in Rome, Italy. He was appointed as the Counsellor at the Turkish Delegation in NATO Brussels and became the Counsellor at the Turkish Embassy in Damascus, Syria. From 1978 to 1988 he held various positions within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Turkey, becoming Head of Personnel Department, Head of NATO Department and Head of COMCEC Coordination Office.
In 1988, became the Ambassador of Turkey to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and was appointed the Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Affairs of the Ministry in 1992. In 1995, he became the Ambassador of Turkey to Cairo, Egypt.
From 1998 to 2000 he acted as the Permanent Representative of Turkey to the United Nations Office and other international organisations based in Vienna. In 2000, he was appointed a Senior Policy Adviser at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In August 2001, he became the founding member and Vice Chairman of the Justice and Development Party (AK Parti) in charge of Foreign Affairs.
He was elected Member of Parliament for the province of Düzce in the general elections held on 3 November 2002. He is Minister of Foreign Affairs of the 58th Turkish Government and Chairman of the European Union Commission in the Turkish Parliament.
Discussion Meetings take place at Arundel House, 13-15 Arundel Street, WC2R 3DX. This meeting will take place in the Fourth Floor meeting room.
Please notify Kathleen James at
james@iiss.org or tel +44 (0)20 7395 9109 if you would like to attend.
