Egemen Bağış is a Turkish politician, member of 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...

 since November 2002, current minister for EU

European 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...

 Affairs and chief negotiator of Turkey in accession talks with the European Union

Accession of Turkey to the European Union

Turkey's application to accede to the European Union was made on 14 April 1987. Turkey has been an associate member of the European Union and its predecessors since 1963...

. Besides representing 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...

 in the parliament, he serves as the Justice and Development Party (Turkey)

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...

 Vice-Chairman in charge of foreign affairs.

Early life

Bagis was born in Bingöl

Bingöl

Bingöl is a city in Eastern Turkey. It is also known as Çabakcur , which means violent water in Armenian. It is surrounded by mountains and a large number of glacier lakes, hence the name . Lately, the town has become a popular tourist destination...

, Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

, in 1970. His family originates from the neighbouring province of Siirt

Siirt

- External links :* * * *...

, where his father once served as mayor.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Resources Management as well as a Master of Public Administration

Public administration

Public Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....

, both from the Baruch College

Baruch College

Bernard M. Baruch College, more commonly known as Baruch College, is a constituent college of the City University of New York, located in the Flatiron district of Manhattan, New York City. With an acceptance rate of just 23%, Baruch is among the most competitive and diverse colleges in the nation...

 of City University of New York

City University of New York

The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...

. He is married to Beyhan N. Bagis, and they have two children.

Official responsibilities

• Justice and Development Party Vice-Chairman, Foreign Affairs
• Member of the Turkish Parliament, representing Istanbul
• Chairman, Turkey-USA Inter Parliamentary Friendship Caucus of the Turkish Parliament (the counterpart of the Turkey Caucus in the US Congress);
• Advisory Board Chairman, Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Initiative.
• As a patron of the arts, he is among the founders of two museums: the Istanbul Modern
  Istanbul Modern
  The Istanbul Modern Art Museum, aka Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, is a museum of contemporary art in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey, inaugurated on December 11, 2004, prominently featuring the work of Turkish artists...
  
   and the Santral Museum of Art & Industry. Also, he is an honorary board member of the Siirt Solidarity Foundation.

As a top adviser to the 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...

; Bagis has been playing a key role in the Justice and Development Party's dedicated reform drive in Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

 towards robust democracy

Democracy

Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...

, the protection and expansion of individual freedoms

Individualism

Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, or social outlook that stresses "the moral worth of the individual". Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and so value independence and self-reliance while opposing most external interference upon one's own...

, a liberal market economy

Market economy

A market economy is an economy in which the prices of goods and services are determined in a free price system. This is often contrasted with a state-directed or planned economy. Market economies can range from hypothetically pure laissez-faire variants to an assortment of real-world mixed...

, the rule of law

Rule of law

The rule of law, sometimes called supremacy of law, is a legal maxim that says that governmental decisions should be made by applying known principles or laws with minimal discretion in their application...

, and Turkey's global integration

Globalization

Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...

. Bagis has also been instrumental in keeping statesmen, international fora, and the media informed of developments in Turkey.

Turkish-American relations

An active member of the Turkish-American community

Turkish American

Turkish Americans are people who have Turkish ancestry and are citizens of the United States.-History:Early Turkish immigrants to the United States were predominantly from Turkey's rural community. They settled in large, industrial cities and found employment as unskilled laborers...

 within the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, Bagis formerly served as the president of the Federation of Turkish American Associations, the New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 based umbrella organization of Turkish-Americans. He enjoys the distinction of being the only president thus far elected to two consecutive terms by unanimous vote. He has also served as a member of the Advisory Board on Turkish Citizens Abroad, a government body.

External links

• http://www.egemenbagis.com