Coordinates	39°46′5.88″N86°9′29.52″N
Official name	Tekirdağ
Timezone	EET
Utc offset	+2
Map caption	Location of Tekirdağ within Turkey.
Timezone dst	EEST
Utc offset dst	+3
Coordinates region	TR
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision name
Subdivision type1	Region
Subdivision name1	Marmara
Subdivision type2	Province
Subdivision name2	Tekirdağ Province
Population total	140,535
Pushpin label position
Pushpin map caption	Location of Tekirdağ
Area code	282 |blank_info 59
Blank name	Licence plate
Leader name	Adem Dalgıç
Leader party	CHP
Leader title	Mayor
Leader title1	Governor
Leader name1	Zübeyir Kemelek
Website	tekirdag.bel.tr }}

Tekirdağ (; see also its other names), the ancient Bisanthe (), is a city in Eastern Thrace, in the European part of Turkey. Tekirdağ is the capital of Tekirdağ Province, felt by the local people to be a quieter and more pleasant town than the industrial centre of Çorlu, which it administers. The city population as of 2009 was 140,535. There are honorary consulates of Hungary and Bulgaria in Tekirdağ.

Name

Tekirdağ's historical names include ''Rodosto'' (Ρωδόστο) or ''Rhaedestos'' (Ραιδεστός) and during the Byzantine era, it was also called ''Bisanthi'' (Βισάνθη). It was called as ''Rodosçuk'' after it fell to the Ottomans in the 14th century. After the 18th century it was called ''Tekfurdağı'', sometimes said to be based on the Turkish word ''tekfur'', meaning "Byzantine feudal lord" – though this etymology has been challenged. In time, the name mutated into the Turkish ''Tekirdağ'', and this became the official name under the Turkish Republic.

Location

Tekirdağ is situated on the northern coast of the Sea of Marmara, 135 km west of Istanbul. The picturesque bay of Tekirdağ is enclosed by the great promontory of the mountain which gives its name to the city, Tekir Dağı (ancient Combos), a spur about 2000 ft. that rises into the hilly plateau to the north. Between Tekirdağ and Şarköy is another mountain, Ganos Dağı.

Climate

Tekirdağ has a borderline mediterranean/humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa/Cfa). Summers are long, hot and humid whilst winters are cool and wet. Snowfall is quite common between the months of December and March, snowing for a week or two.

History

The history of the city of Tekirdağ dates back to around 4000 BC. The ancient Greek city of Rodosto is said to have been founded by Samians. In Xenophon’s ''Anabasis'' it is mentioned to be a part of the kingdom of the Thracian prince Seuthes. Its restoration by Justinian I in the 6th century A.D. is chronicled by Procopius. In 813 and again in 1206 it was sacked by the Bulgarians after the Battle of Rodosto, but it continued to appear as a place of considerable note in later Byzantine history. It was also ruled by Venetians between 1204-1235.

In the Ottoman period the city was successively a part of the vilayet (province) of Rumelia, Kaptanpaşa (centered at Gelibolu), Silistre and Edirne.

In 1905, the city had a population of about 35,000; of whom half were Greeks who were exchanged with Muslims living in Greece under the 1923 agreement for Exchange of Greek Orthodox and Muslim Populations between the two countries.

Tekirdağ was for many years a depot for the produce of the Edirne province, but its trade suffered when Alexandroupolis became the terminus of the railway up the river Maritsa.

Tekirdağ today

The Tekirdağ area is the site of many holiday homes, as the city is only two hours drive from Istanbul via a new four-lane highway. The villages of Şarköy, Mürefte and Kumbağ are particularly popular with Turkish tourists. Much of this holiday property has been built in an unregulated and unplanned manner and thus much of the coast looks over-built. The Marmara Sea is polluted but there are still a number of public beaches near Tekirdağ.

Tekirdağ is a Turkish commercial town centre with a harbour for agricultural products; the harbor is being expanded to accommodate a new rail link to the main freight line through Thrace. Tekirdağ is the home port of Martas and the BOTAŞ Terminal, both of which are important for trade activities in the Marmara Region.

Most of the city's Ottoman wooden buildings have been replaced by concrete apartment blocks, but some are being restored or replaced with attractive houses in the traditional style. Except for the Rüstem Paşa Camii, built by the Ottoman architect, Mimar Sinan, in the 16th century, and the narrow streets that help one imagine life in the Ottoman period, the city lacks antique charm. One reason to visit is the local delicacy, the small spicy cylindrical grilled meatballs called ''Tekirdağ köftesi'', traditionally followed by courses of a sweet local cheese and semolina pudding.

The inland areas are fertile farmland, growing crops including winter wheat, sunflowers, cherries and grapes for wine-making: thus the high quality ''rakı'' for which Tekirdağ is noted. The distilleries were state-owned until the 1990s but are now in private hands and the wine and ''rakı'' industries are undergoing a renewal. Local red wines are inexpensive and worth a taste.

Both the east-west highway (the Via Egnatia from Roman times) and the highway north toward Muratlı and Lüleburgaz are four lanes. There is a prison next to the ''rakı'' distillery and another north of the city on the road to Muratlı.

Tekirdağ is the home of Namık Kemal University, which was founded in 2006 with three faculties. It is located at the eastern edge of the city.

Politics

The secularist CHP does well in the industrial areas of Tekirdağ province.

Notable people

Namık Kemal (1840–1888), Turkish nationalist poet

Francis II Rákóczi (1676–1735), Hungarian prince and national hero

Henri Verneuil (15 October 1920 - 11 January 2002), a French-Armenian playwright and filmmaker, who was born in Tekirdağ and enjoyed a successful career in France.

Bekri Mustafa Pasha, Ottoman Grand Vizier (1688–1698)

Tekirdağlı Hüseyin Pehlivan

Places of interest

The Rakoczi Museum, a 18th century Turkish house, where the Hungarian national hero, Francis II Rákóczi lived during his exile, from 1720 till his death in 1735. Today, the museum is a property of the Republic of Hungary and is widely visited, having become a place of national pilgrimage.

The church of Panagia (Virgin Mary) Rheumatocratissa contains the graves, with long Latin inscriptions, of other Hungarians who took refuge here with their leader.

The birth place of 19th-century poet, Namık Kemal, now a museum to his life and work.

Of all the statues of Atatürk in Turkey, the town centre of Tekirdağ holds the only one that was made exactly life-size.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Tekirdağ is twinned with::

* Kavala, Greece

* Kardzhali, Bulgaria

* Kecskemét, Hungary

* Pyeongtaek, South Korea

Sárospatak, Hungary

* Sliven, Bulgaria

* Techirghiol, Romania

Topolčani, Macedonia (country)>Macedonia

* Bayreuth, Germany

* Famagusta, Northern Cyprus

* Montevago, Italy

* Shantou, China

* Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria

Namesakes

Tekirdağ Province, which contains ''Tekirdağ''

TC-JGE, a Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800 which crashed as Flight 1951 on 25 February 2009

See also

Tsar Kaloyan of Bulgaria, destroyer of Rodosto in 1206.

References

;Notes

External links

City Website

Tekirdağ photo gallery

Category:Port cities of the Sea of Marmara

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Coordinates	39°46′5.88″N86°9′29.52″N
Name	Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Honorific-suffix
Office	Prime Minister of Turkey
President	Ahmet Necdet SezerAbdullah Gül
Deputy
Term start	14 March 2003
Predecessor	Abdullah Gül
Office2	Leader of the Justice and Development Party
Term start2	14 August 2001
Predecessor2	Position established
Office3	Mayor of Istanbul
Term start3	27 March 1994
Term end3	6 November 1998
Predecessor3	Nurettin Sözen
Successor3	Ali Müfit Gürtuna
Birth date	February 26, 1954
Birth place	Istanbul, Turkey
Party	Justice and Development Party (2001–present)
Otherparty	National Salvation Party (Before 1981)Welfare Party (1983–1998)
Spouse	Emine Gülbaran (1978–present)
Children	Ahmet BurakNecmettin BilalEsraSümeyye
Alma mater	Marmara University
Religion	Sunni Islam
Signature	Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Signature.svg
Signature alt	Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Website	Prime MinistryRecep Tayyip Erdoğan }}

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (; born February 26, 1954) is a Turkish politician who has been the Prime Minister of Turkey since 2003. He is also the chairman of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), which holds a majority of the seats in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Erdoğan previously served as Mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998.

Erdoğan graduated in 1981 from Marmara University's Faculty of Economics and Commercial Sciences. He was involved in politics from the age of eighteen. Erdoğan was also a semi-professional footballer from 1969 to 1982.

Erdoğan was elected Mayor of Istanbul in the local elections of March 27, 1994. He was banned from office and sentenced to a prison term because of a poem he recited during a public address in the province of Siirt on December 12, 1997. The poem was quoted from a book published by a state enterprise and one that had been recommended to teachers by the Ministry of Education. After six months in prison, Erdoğan established the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) on August 14, 2001. From its first year, the AK Party became the largest publicly-supported political movement in Turkey. In the general election of 2002 the AK Party won nearly two-thirds of the seats in parliament, forming the first single-party government for 19 years.

As prime minister, Erdoğan implemented numerous reforms. 45 years after Turkey signed an Association Agreement with the EU, the negotiations for Turkey's accession to the EU started during Erdoğan's tenure. Parallel to this, inflation, which had for decades adversely affected the country's economy, was brought under control and the Turkish Lira regained its former prestige through the elimination of six zeros. Interest rates were reduced and per capita income grew significantly. The AK party won the elections of 2007 making it the first time in 52 years that a party in power had increased its votes for a second term.

In the 2011 general election, the AK Party was re-elected for a third term and Erdoğan remained Prime Minister of a single party government.

Personal life and education

Erdoğan was born in the Kasımpaşa neighborhood of Istanbul to a family that moved from Rize Province. When he visited Georgia on August 11, 2004, he said ''I'm a Georgian too, my family is Georgian family, migrated from Batumi to Rize.'' But retired high school teacher and historian Cezmi Yurtsever claims that his family descends from the family of Bagatlı Recep, a large Muslim Turkish family that was settled around Trabzon after Mehmed II's conquest of the city. "Bagatlı Recep" (meaning Recep from Bagat), died in 1916 fighting against the invading Russian.

Erdoğan spent his early childhood in Rize, where his father was a member of the Turkish Coast Guard. The family returned to Istanbul when Erdoğan was 13 years old. His mother's name is Tenzile Erdoğan. As a teenager, Erdoğan sold lemonade and sesame buns (simit) on the streets of Istanbul's rougher districts to earn extra money. Brought up in a observant Muslim family, he graduated from Kasımpaşa Piyale primary school in 1965 and from Istanbul Religious Vocational High School in 1973 (İmam Hatip school). Erdoğan received his high school diploma from Eyüp High School. He then studied Business Administration at Aksaray School of Economics and Commercial Sciences (now it is known as Marmara University's Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences).

In his youth, Erdoğan played semi-professional football (soccer) in a local club. The stadium of the local football club of the district he grew up in, Kasımpaşa S.K., a team which is currently playing in the Turkish Süper Lig, is named after him.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan married Emine Erdoğan (née Gülbaran) (b. 1955 in Siirt), whom he met during a conference, on 4 July 1978. The couple has two sons (Ahmet Burak, Necmeddin Bilal) and two daughters (Esra, Sümeyye). Erdoğan gave a speech in New York on 19 December 2006 in which he talked mainly about the good relations between citizens of Turkey who come from different backgrounds by giving an example from his own life. Erdoğan's first grandson was born in 2006.

Early political career

While studying business administration at what is today Marmara University’s Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences and playing semi-professional football, Erdoğan also engaged in politics by joining the National Turkish Student Union, an anti-communist action group. In 1976, he became the head of Beyoğlu youth branch of the Islamist National Salvation Party (MSP). That same year, he was promoted to the position of chair for the Istanbul youth branch of the party.

After the 1980 military coup, Erdoğan followed most of Erbakan's followers into the Welfare Party. He became the party’s Beyoglu district chair in 1984, and in 1985 he became the chair of the Istanbul city branch. He was elected to parliament in 1991, but barred from taking his seat.

Mayor of Istanbul, 1994–1998

In the local elections of March 27, 1994 Erdoğan was elected Mayor of Istanbul, the social and economic capital of Turkey and one of the biggest metropolitan areas of the world. He received 25.19% of the popular vote. Many feared that he would impose Islamic law. However, he proved to be very pragmatic in office. Erdoğan tackled many chronic problems of Istanbul, such as water shortage, pollution and traffic chaos. The water shortage problem was solved with the laying of hundreds of kilometers of new pipelines. The garbage problem was solved with the establishment of state-of-the-art recycling facilities. While Erdoğan was in office, air pollution was reduced through a plan developed to switch to natural gas. He changed the public buses with environmentally friendly buses. The city's traffic and transportation jams were ameliorated with more than fifty bridges, viaducts, and highways. Erdoğan also prohibited the sale of alcohol in city services. After a period, this measure was reversed. While taking precautions to prevent corruption, Erdoğan took measures to ensure that municipal funds were used prudently. Erdoğan paid back a major portion of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality's two billion dollar debt when he took office and meanwhile invested four billion dollars in the city.

Erdoğan initiated the first roundtable of mayors during the Istanbul conference, which led to a global, organized movement of mayors. Because of his works, a seven member international jury from the United Nations unanimously found Erdoğan deserving the UN-HABITAT award.

Imprisonment, 1998

Before his conviction, the Welfare Party was declared unconstitutional and was shut down by the Turkish constitutional court on the grounds of threatening the secular order in Turkey. Erdogan became a constant speaker at the demonstrations held by his party colleagues.

He was given a 10 month prison sentence (of which he served 6) for citing a poem in Siirt in December 1997, which, under article 312/2 of the Turkish penal code was regarded as an incitement to commit an offense and incitement to religious or racial hatred.It included verses translated as "The mosques are our barracks, the domes our helmets, the minarets our bayonets and the faithful our soldiers....". The aforementioned verses are not included in the original version of the poem.

The poem was a work by Ziya Gökalp, a pan-Turkish activist of the early 20th century. Erdogan has in his defence said that the poem had been approved by the education ministry to be published in textbooks.

With the conviction, Erdogan was forced to give up his mayoral position. The conviction also stipulated a political ban, which prevented him from participating in parliamentary elections. He completed his sentence on 24 July 1999.

Prime Ministership, 2003–present

In 2001, Erdoğan established the moderate Justice and Development Party with revivalists (''yenilikçiler'') of the former Fazilet Partisi and Anavatan Partisi members. The AK Party won a landslide victory in the 2002 election, taking nearly two-thirds of the seats. However, Erdoğan could not became prime minister right away, as he was still banned from politics by the judiciary for his speech in Siirt, and deputy leader Gül thus became the prime minister instead. In December 2002 the Supreme Election Board canceled the general election results from Siirt due to voting irregularities and scheduled a new election for February 9, 2003. By this time, party leader Erdoğan was able to run for Parliament thanks to a legal change made possible by the opposition Republican People’s Party. The AK Party duly listed Erdoğan as a candidate for the rescheduled Siirt election, and he won, becoming prime minister after Gül subsequently handed over the post.

Domestic policy

Democracy

Erdoğan's pro-EU government instituted several democratic reforms. He gave the European Court of Human Rights supremacy over Turkish courts, reduced the powers of the 1991 Anti-Terror Law which had constrained Turkey’s democratization, and abolished many restrictions on freedom of speech and the press. He also passed a partial amnesty to reduce penalties faced by many members of the Kurdish terrorist organization PKK who had surrendered to the government.

The government planned several times to replace the Turkish Constitution of 1982 with a more democratic "civil constitution", but the main opposition party CHP did not want to participate.

In 2009, the Turkish government under Prime Minister Erdoğan announced a plan to help end the quarter-century-long conflict that has cost more than 40,000 lives. The government’s plan, supported by the European Union, allowed the Kurdish language to be used in all broadcast media and political campaigns, and restore Kurdish names to cities and towns that have been given Turkish ones.

Such measures, many of which have been required for entry to the European Union, were inconceivable in the early 1980s, when aggressive state policies prohibited use of the Kurdish language and other cultural and political rights for the Kurds.

“We took a courageous step to resolve chronic issues that constitute an obstacle along Turkey’s development, progression and empowerment.” Erdoğan said regarding the issue.

He mentioned in Bishkek about Turkey that "in France, and in Russia. We currently already have a semi-presidential system. There is a strong presidency."

Economy

In 2002, Erdoğan inherited a Turkish economy deep in recession due to the financial crisis during the coalition government under the leadership of Ecevit. Erdoğan supported Finance Minister Ali Babacan in enforcing macro-economic policies. Erdogan tried to attract more foreign investors to Turkey and lifted most of government regulations, with the average GDP growth rate 7.3% during his premiership as he presided over a record 26 quarters of economic growth.

Since 1961 Turkey has begun 19 IMF loan accords. Erdogan's government satisfied the budgetary and market requirements of the two on his watch and received every loan installment, the only time any government has ever done so. Erdoğan inherited a debt of $23.5 billion to the IMF, which has been reduced to $6.1 billion in 2010. He decided not to sign a new deal. Turkey’s debt to the IMF will be completely paid off in 2013. In 2010, Five-year credit default swaps for Turkey's sovereign debt were trading at a record low of 1.17%, below those of nine EU member countries and Russia. Unemployment rate decreased from 10.3% to 9.7% in 2007. Along with the global economic crisis of 2008, Turkey’s unemployment rate jumped to a record high of 16.1% in the January–March period of 2009. In the April–June period of 2010, the unemployment decreased again to 11.0%, compared to 10.0% in the eurozone.

In 2002, the Turkish Central Bank had $26.5 billion in reserves. This amount reached $92.2 billion in 2011. In the same period, inflation fell from 34,9% to 5,7%, the lowest in 39 years. The public debt as percentage of annual gross domestic product declined from 74% in 2002 to 39% in 2009.

The World Bank praised Erdogan for the courageous reforms and the economic stability in the country.

Justice

On March 2006, the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) for the first time in Turkey's history held a press conference and publicly protest the obstruction of the appointment of judges to the high courts for over 10 months. It claimed Erdoğan wanted to fill the vacant posts with his own appointees which Erdoğan was accused of creating a rift with the Turkey's highest court of appeals (the ''Yargıtay'') and high administrative court (the ''Danıştay''). Erdoğan claimed that the constitution gave power of assigning members to his elected party.

In May 2007, the head of the high court in Turkey asked prosecutors to consider whether Erdoğan should be charged over critical comments regarding the election of Abdullah Gul as president. Erdoğan said the ruling was "a disgrace to the justice system", and criticized the Constitutional Court which had invalidated a presidential vote because a boycott of other parties meant there was no quorum. Prosecutors have already investigated his earlier comments, including saying it had fired a "bullet at democracy". Tülay Tuğcu, head of the Constitutional Court, condemned Erdoğan for "threats, insults and hostility" towards the justice system. The Turkish parliament agreed to reduce the age of candidacy to the parliament from 30 to 25 and abolished the death penalty in all instances, including war time.

Health care

On April 2006, Erdoğan unveiled a social security reform package demanded by the International Monetary Fund under a loan deal. Erdoğan claimed that the move, which was passed with fierce opposition, was the one of the most radical reforms. Turkey’s three social security bodies were united under one roof, bringing equal health services and retirement benefits for members of all three bodies. Under the second bill, everyone below the age of 18 will be entitled to free health services, irrespective of whether they pay premiums to any social security organization or not. The bill also envisages a gradual increase in the retirement age. Starting from 2036, the retirement age will eventually increase to 65 as of 2048 for both men and women. The government unified three systems of hospitals and insurance for different professions that were criticized for offering unequal benefits and reserving the best hospitals for civil servants while others waited in long queues.

On January 2008, the Turkish Parliament adopted a law on a complete prohibition of smoking in most public places. The Prime Minister himself is an outspoken anti-smoker.

Demographics

In 2008 Erdogan commented that to ensure that the Turkish population remains young, every family would need to have at least three children. He has numerous times repeated this statement. As of 2010, the population of Turkey is estimated to be 73.7 million with a growth rate of 1.21% per annum (2009 figure).

Foreign policy

European Union

Erdoğan was named by the European Voice Organization "The European of the Year 2004" for the reforms in his country. Erdoğan said in a comment that "Turkey's accession shows that Europe is a continent where civilisations reconcile and not clash."

On 3 October 2005, the negotiations for Turkey's accession to the EU formally started during Erdoğan's tenure as Prime Minister.

Erdoğan is the co-founder of the Alliance of Civilizations. The AoC is an initiative proposed by the President of Spain, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, at the 59th General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) in 2005. The initiative seeks to galvanize international action against extremism through the forging of international, intercultural and interreligious dialogue and cooperation.

Greece and Cyprus

During Erdoğan's Prime Ministership, relations with Greece have been normalized. Political and economic relations are much improved. In 2007, Prime Minister Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis met on the bridge over the Evros River at the border between Greece and Turkey, for the inauguration of the Greek-Turkish natural gas pipeline, linking the longtime Aegean rivals through a project that will give Caspian gas its first direct Western outlet and help ease Russia’s energy dominance.

Turkey and Greece signed an agreement to create a Combined Joint Operational Unit within the framework of NATO to participate in Peace Support Operations.

Erdogan and his party strongly supported the EU backed referendum of Cyprus, 2004 to reunify the island.

Iraq

Under Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's Prime Ministry, Iraq and Turkey signed 48 trade agreements by the Iraqi-Turkish Strategic Council in Baghdad. Agreements signed included sectors of security, energy, oil, electricity, water, health, trade, environment, transport, housing, construction, agriculture, education, higher education, and defense.

Turkish government also warmed up relations with Iraqi Kurdistan by opening a Turkish university in Arbil, and a Turkish consulate in Mosul. Abdullah Gül became the first Turkish head of state to visit Iraq in 33 years, on March 23, 2009.

Israel

Erdoğan describes Israel as "the main threat to regional peace" and has called for Israel's nuclear facilities to come under IAEA inspection. Erdoğan accuses Israel of turning Gaza into an "open-air prison".

At the 2009 World Economic Forum conference, the debate became heated in relation to the Gaza conflict. Israeli President Shimon Peres responded Erdogan's claims,proclaiming that Turkey would have done the same if rockets had been hitting Istanbul. Peres added that Erdogan does not understand the situation Erdogan was interrupted by the moderator while he was responding to Peres. Erdogan proclaimed "Mister Peres, you are older than I am. Maybe you are feeling guilty and that is why you are raising your voice. When it comes to killing you know it too well. I remember the children who was killed on beaches..." Upon the moderator's continuous reminder that they are getting late for the dinner, Erdogan left the panel, accusing the moderator of giving Peres more time than all the other panelists combined.

Following the Gaza flotilla raid, tension between the two countries dramatically mounted, when Erdogan strongly condemned the raid, describing it as "state terrorism", calling for Israeli leaders responsible to be punished.

Russia

For centuries, Turkey and Russia have been rivals for regional supremacy. With the rise of the Erdoğan government, the two countries have realised that friendly relations are in the interest of them both. Accordingly, co-operation rather than rivalry appears to dominate the ties.

In 2002, trade between Turkey and Russia was worth some $5 billion. By the end of 2010, this figure reached almost $30 billion.

In December 2004, President Putin visited Turkey. This was the first Presidential visit in the history of Turkish-Russian relations besides that of the Chairman of the Presidium, Nikolai Podgorny in 1972. In November 2005, Putin attended the inauguration of a jointly constructed Blue Stream natural gas pipeline in Turkey. This sequence of top-level visits has brought several important bilateral issues to the forefront. The two countries consider it their strategic goal to achieve "multidimensional co-operation", especially in the fields of energy, transport and the military. Specifically, Russia aims to invest in Turkey’s fuel and energy industries, and it also expects to participate in tenders for the modernisation of Turkey’s military.

President Medvedev described Turkey as “one of our most important partners with respect to regional and international issues.” He continued “We can confidently say that Russian-Turkish relations have advanced to the level of a multidimensional strategic partnership.”

On May 12, 2010, Ankara and Moscow signed 17 agreements to enhance cooperation in energy and other fields, including pacts to build Turkey’s first nuclear power plant and furthering plans for an oil pipeline from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. The leaders of both countries have also signed an agreement on visa-free travel. Tourists will be able to get into the country for free and stay there for up to 30 days.

Saudi Arabia

Diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia were established in 1929. In recent years importance has been given to regional issues and to the improvement of bilateral relations to strengthen political, economic and military ties.

In August 2006, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud made a visit to Turkey. This was the first visit made by a Saudi monarch in forty years. Soon after that, He made a second visit to Turkey in the following year on 9 November 2007.

Turkish-Saudi trade volume has exceeded 3.2 billion USD in 2006, almost double the figure achieved in 2003. In 2009, this amount reached 5.5 billion USD and the goal for the year 2010 was 10 billion USD. Trade is expected to increase even more, as the strategic locations of both countries translate into economies which are in a position to supplement each other.

Syria

During Erdoğan's term of office, the diplomatic relations between Turkey and Syria have significantly improved. In 2004, President Bashar al-Assad arrived in Turkey for the first official visit by a Syrian President in 57 years. In late 2004, Turkish Prime Minister Erdoğan signed a free trade agreement with Syria. The visa restrictions between the two countries have been lifted in 2009, which caused an economic boom in the regions near the Syrian border.

United States

When Barack Obama became President of United States, he made his first overseas bilateral meeting to Turkey in April 2009.

At a joint news conference in Turkey, Obama said: "I'm trying to make a statement about the importance of Turkey, not just to the United States but to the world. I think that where there's the most promise of building stronger U.S.-Turkish relations is in the recognition that Turkey and the United States can build a model partnership in which a predominantly Christian nation, a predominantly Muslim nation – a Western nation and a nation that straddles two continents," he continued, "that we can create a modern international community that is respectful, that is secure, that is prosperous, that there are not tensions – inevitable tensions between cultures – which I think is extraordinarily important."

Elections and Referendums

General elections

The elections of 2002 were the first elections in which Erdogan participated as a leader of a party. All parties previously elected to parliament failed to win enough votes to re-enter the parliament. The AK Party won 34.3% of the national vote and formed the new government. Turkish stocks rose more than 7% on Monday morning. Politicians of the previous generation, such as Ecevit, Bahceli, Yılmaz and Çiller, declared to resign from their role as political leader. The second biggest party CHP received 19.4% of the votes.

The stage of the elections of 2007 was set for a fight for legitimacy in the eyes of voters between his government and the country’s kemalist opposition. Erdoğan used the events at that took place during the ill-fated Presidential elections a few months earlier as a part of the general election campaign of his party. In the night of 22 July 2007, it became obvious that AK Party had won an important victory over the opposition, garnering 46.7% of the popular vote. July 22 elections were only the second time in the Turkish Republic's history whereby an incumbent governing party won an election by increasing its share of popular support.

On 14 March 2008, Turkey's Chief Prosecutor asked the country's Constitutional Court to ban Erdoğan's governing party. The party later escaped a ban on 30 July 2008, a year after winning 46.7% of the vote in national elections, only receiving a removal of 50% share of their public granted funds.

As a result of the June 12, 2011 elections, Erdoğan's governing party won 327 seats (49.83% of the popular vote) making Erdoğan the only prime minister in Turkish history that won three general elections in a row with each time receiving more votes than the previous election. The second party Republican People's Party (CHP) received 135 seats (25.94%), the nationalist MHP received 53 seats (13.01%) and the Independents received 35 seats (6.58%).

Presidential elections

On April 14, 2007, an estimated 300,000 people marched in Ankara to protest the possible candidacy of Erdoğan in the 2007 presidential election, afraid that if elected as President, he would alter the secular nature of the Turkish state. Erdoğan announced on April 24, 2007 that the party had decided to nominate Abdullah Gül as the AK Party candidate in the presidential election. The protests continued over the next several weeks, with over one million reported at an April 29 rally in Istanbul, tens of thousands reported at separate protests on May 4 in Manisa and Çanakkale, and one million in İzmir on May 13. Early parliamentary elections were called after the failure of the parties in parliament to agree on the next Turkish president. The opposition parties boycotted the parliamentary vote and deadlocked the election process. At the same time, Erdoğan claimed the failure to elect a president was a failure of the Turkish political system and proposed to modify the constitution.

Abdullah Gül was later elected President after the general elections on 22 July 2007 that saw AK Party and Erdoğan brought back to power with 46.7% of the vote. Later in 2007, Turkish constitutional referendum approved with the support of 69% of the voters to modify the constitution to allow the people to elect the President.

Local elections

In the local elections of 1994 Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was elected Mayor of Istanbul, one of the biggest metropolitan areas of the world. He received 25.19% of the popular vote.

After the AK Party won the 2002 general elections under the leadership of Erdogan, it has received more votes in the 2004 local elections. The AK party was the biggest party in 12 out of 16 metropolitan municipality.

The Turkish local elections of 2009 took place during the financial crisis of 2007–2010. In these elections the AK Party received 39% of the vote, 3% less than in the local elections of 2004. The second party CHP received 23% of the vote and the third party MHP received 16% of the vote. The AK Party won in Turkey's largest cities: Ankara and Istanbul.

Referendums

After the opposition parties deadlocked the 2007 presidential election by boycotting the parliament, the ruling AK party proposed a constitutional reform package. The reform package was first vetoed by president Sezer. Then he applied to the Turkish constituonal court about the reform package, because the president is unable to veto amendments for the second time. The Turkish constituonal court did not find any problems in the packet and 68.95% of the voters supported the constitutional changes. The reforms consisted of:

electing the president by popular vote instead of by parliament;

reducing the presidential term from seven years to five;

allowing the president to stand for re-election for a second term;

holding general elections every four years instead of five;

reducing the quorum of lawmakers needed for parliamentary decisions from 367 to 184.

Reforming the Constitution was one of the main pledges of the AK Party during the 2007 election campaign. The main opposition party CHP was not interested in altering the Constitution on a big scale, making it impossible to vorm a Constitutional Commission (''Anayasa Uzlaşma Komisyonu''). The amendments lacked the two-thirds majority needed to instantly become law, but secured 336 votes in the 550 seat parliament – enough to put the proposals to a referendum. The reform package included a number of issues such as the right of individuals to appeal to the highest court, the creation of the ombudsman’s office, the possibility to negotiate a nation-wide labour contract, gender equality, the ability of civilian courts to convict members of the military, the right of civil servants to go on strike, a privacy law, and the structure of the Constitutional Court. The referendum was agreed by a majority of 58%.

Views

Speaking at Kanal D TV’s Arena program, PM Erdoğan commented on the term “moderate Islam”, often used in the West to describe AKP and said, "These descriptions are very ugly, it is offensive and an insult to our religion. There is no moderate or immoderate Islam. Islam is Islam and that’s it.” [Source: Milliyet, Turkey, August 21, 2007]

Honors and accolades

Awards

On January 29, 2004, Erdoğan received the Profiles of Courage Award from the American Jewish Committee, for promoting peace between cultures. On April 18, 2004, Erdoğan was listed in ''Time'' magazine's "100 most influential people in the world" and was called a builder of bridges by the magazine. On June 13, 2004, Erdoğan received the Golden Plate award from the Academy of Achievement during the conference in Chicago. On October 3, 2004, Erdoğan won the German Quadriga prize for improving relationships between different cultures. On December 1, 2004, Erdoğan received the named European of the Year by the weekly ''European Voice'', for having put Turkey on the path to reform. On September 2, 2005, Erdoğan received the Mediterranean Award for Institutions (Italian: Premio Mediterraneo Istituzioni). This was awarded by the Fondazione Mediterraneo. On June 1, 2006, Erdoğan received a Russian state medal from the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. On August 8, 2006, Erdoğan received the Caspian Energy Integration Award from the Caspian Integration Business Club. On November 1, 2006, Erdoğan received Outstanding Service award from the Turkish humanitarian organization Red Crescent. On February 2, 2007, Erdoğan received the Dialogue Between Cultures Award from the President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev. On March 12, 2007, Erdoğan received together with the Spanish prime minister Zapatero the 2007 RUMI Peace and Dialogue award. On April 15, 2007, Erdoğan received the Crystal Hermes Award from the German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the opening of the Hannover Industrial Fair. On June 14, 2007, Erdoğan received the Turkish Leader of the Year Award from the mediagroup Imedya. On July 11, 2007, Erdoğan received the highest award of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the Agricola Medal, in recognition of his contribution to agricultural and social development in Turkey. On January 15, 2008, Erdoğan received together with the Spanish prime minister Zapatero the Building Bridges Award from the AMSS(UK), for their efforts to unify communities separated by race, culture and religion, for promoting a climate of respect, and peaceful co-existence through launching the Alliance of Civilizations project. On May 11, 2009, Erdoğan received the Avicenna award from the Avicenna Foundation in Frankfurt, Germany. On June 9, 2009, Erdoğan was the honor guest of 20th Crans Montana Forum in Brussels and received the Prix de la Fondation, for democracy and freedom. On October 26, 2009, the Government of Pakistan awarded Erdoğan the Nishan-e-Pakistan, the highest civilian award in Pakistan. On December 29, 2009, Erdoğan received the Award for Contribution to World Peace from the Turgut Özal Thought and Move Association. On January 12, 2010, Erdoğan won the King Faisal International Prize for "service to Islam" from the King Faisal Foundation. On February 23, 2010, Erdoğan received the Nodo Culture Award from the mayor of Seville for his efforts to launch the Alliance of Civilizations initiative. On March 1, 2010, Erdoğan won the United Nations–HABITAT award in memorial of Rafik Hariri. A seven member international jury unanimously found Erdoğan deserving the award because of his “excellent achievement and commendable conduct in the area of leadership, statesmanship and good governance. Erdoğan also initiated the first roundtable of mayors during the Istanbul conference, which led to a global, organized movement of mayors.” On April 29, 2010, Erdoğan was listed for the second time in ''Time'' magazine's "100 most influential people in the world". On May 17, 2010, Georgia's president awarded Erdoğan the Order of Golden Fleece for his contribution to development of bilateral relations. On May 27, 2010, Erdogan received a medal of honor from the Brazilian Federation of Industry for the State of São Paulo (FIESP) for his contributions to industry On May 31, 2010, the World Health Organization awarded Erdoğan the 2010 World No Tobacco Award for "his dedicated leadership on tobacco control in Turkey." On June 29, 2010, Erdoğan received the 2010 World Family Award from the World Family Organization which operates under the umbrella of the United Nations. On November 4, 2010, Erdoğan received the Golden Medal of Independence, an award conferred upon Kosovo citizens and foreigners that have contributed to the independence of Kosovo. On November 25, 2010, Erdoğan received the "Leader of the Year" award presented by the Union of Arab Banks in Lebanon. On November 29, 2010, Erdoğan was invited as guest of honor at the 3rd EU-Africa Summit in Libya, where he is given the Al-Gaddafi International Prize for Human Rights. On January 11, 2011, Erdoğan was presented with the "Outstanding Personality in the Islamic World Award" of the Sheikh Fahad al-Ahmad International Award for Charity in Kuwait. On February 2, 2011, Kyrgyzstan's president decorated Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan with the Danaker Order in Bishkek.

Honorary doctorates

On January 26, 2004, Erdoğan received an honorary doctorate from St. John's University. On April 3, 2004, Erdoğan received an honorary doctorate from the Crimean State University. On May 18, 2006, Erdoğan received an honorary doctorate from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. On July 20, 2006, Erdoğan received an honorary doctorates from Girne American University. On March 29, 2008, Erdoğan received an honorary doctorate from the University of Sarajevo. On October 15, 2008, Erdoğan received an honorary doctorate from the Fatih University. On July 4, 2009, Erdoğan received an honorary doctorate from Maltepe University. On July 4, 2009, Erdoğan received an honorary doctorate from the Istanbul University. On August 22, 2009, Erdoğan received an honorary doctorate from the University of Aleppo. On April 16, 2010, Erdoğan received an honorary doctorate from the Islamic University of Gaza. On May 18, 2010, Erdoğan received an honorary doctorate from European University of Madrid. On June 12, 2010, Erdoğan received an honorary doctorate from Black Sea Technical University. On October 2, 2010, Erdoğan received an honorary doctorate from Piri Reis University. On October 31, 2010, Erdoğan received an honorary doctorate from Harran University. On November 4, 2010, Erdoğan received an honorary doctorate from University of Prishtina. On January 25, 2011, Erdoğan received an honorary doctorate from Taras Shevchenko University. On March 16, 2011, Erdoğan received an honorary doctorate from Moscow State University. On March 21, 2011, Erdoğan received an honorary doctorate from Umm al-Qura University. On July 2, 2011, Erdoğan received an honorary doctorate from Istanbul Aydın University.

Honorary citizenship

Erdoğan received honorary citizenship of Seoul, South Korea, on February 2004. Erdoğan received honorary citizenship of Tehran, Iran, on February 2009. Erdoğan received honorary citizenship of Prizren, Kosovo, on November 2010.

See also

Prime Minister of Turkey

References

External links

Official Website of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey Official Website of the Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan Erdoğan's personal website

Profile at Justice and Development Party

Column archive at ''Newsweek''

Column archive at Project Syndicate

;Media coverge

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan official news website

Profile: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, ''BBC News'', 18 July 2007

Speaker profile at OECD

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Category:1954 births Category:Current national leaders Category:Justice and Development Party (Turkey) politicians Category:Leaders of political parties in Turkey Category:Living people Category:Mayors of Istanbul Category:People from Istanbul Category:Prime Ministers of Turkey Category:Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Category:Recipients of the Nishan-e-Pakistan Category:Turkish people of Georgian descent Category:Turkish Sunni Muslims

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