Egemen Bağış
| Egemen Bağış | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Minister of European Union Affairs | |
|
In office 29 June 2011 – 25 December 2013 |
|
| Prime Minister | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu |
| Chief Negotiator for Turkish Accession to the European Union | |
|
In office 11 January 2009 – 25 December 2013 |
|
| Prime Minister | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan |
| Preceded by | Ali Babacan |
| Succeeded by | Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu |
| Member of the Grand National Assembly | |
|
In office 19 November 2002 – 7 June 2015 |
|
| Constituency |
İstanbul (II) (2002, 2007) İstanbul (I) (2011) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
23 April 1970 Bingöl, Turkey |
| Political party | Justice and Development Party (AKP) |
| Spouse(s) | Beyhan N. Bağış |
| Alma mater | Baruch College |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Website | www |
Egemen Bağış (born 23 April 1970) is a Turkish politician, member of the Turkish parliament since November 2002, and the former minister for EU Affairs and chief negotiator of Turkey in accession talks with the European Union.
Bağış was born in Bingöl, Turkey, in 1970. His family originates from the neighbouring province of Siirt, where his father once served as mayor. His father Abdullah Bağış died during his tenure in New York as the Educational Attache of Turkey.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Resources Management as well as a Master of Public Administration, both from the Baruch College of City University of New York.
As a top adviser to the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Bağış played a key role in the Justice and Development Party's (AKP) policies.
Bağış formerly served as the president of the Federation of Turkish American Associations, the New York-based umbrella organization of Turkish-Americans that sponsored his green card petition in the United States. He has also served as a member of the Advisory Board on Turkish Citizens Abroad, a government body. He was the manager of the Antik Bar at the Jolly Madison Hotel serving the Turkish American community. He also founded the Turkish Link, a New York-based translation agency specialized in the Turkish and English languages.
During the 2013 protests in Turkey, Bağış attracted criticism for his comments that "Everyone who enters Taksim Square will be treated like a terrorist." In an officially published statement, and despite claims and evidence presented by organizations such as Amnesty International, Bağış claimed that "There is no state violence in Turkey". In the same statement, he claimed that "Turkey has the most reformist and strongest government in Europe and the most charismatic and strongest leader in the world. Should anyone have a problem with this, then I am truly sorry. Only for those who feel overwhelmed is the leadership of Prime Minister Erdoğan a problem."
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Wikipedia