Abdullah Gül facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Abdullah Gül
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Gül in 2011
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| 11th President of Turkey | |
| In office 28 August 2007 – 28 August 2014 |
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| Prime Minister | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan |
| Preceded by | Ahmet Necdet Sezer |
| Succeeded by | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan |
| 24th Prime Minister of Turkey | |
| In office 18 November 2002 – 14 March 2003 |
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| President | Ahmet Necdet Sezer |
| Deputy | Abdüllatif Şener Mehmet Ali Şahin Ertuğrul Yalçınbayır |
| Preceded by | Bülent Ecevit |
| Succeeded by | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey | |
| In office 28 March 2003 – 28 August 2007 |
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| Prime Minister | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan |
| Served with | Abdüllatif Şener Mehmet Ali Şahin |
| Preceded by | Ertuğrul Yalçınbayır |
| Succeeded by | Cemil Çiçek |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 14 March 2003 – 28 August 2007 |
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| Prime Minister | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan |
| Preceded by | Yaşar Yakış |
| Succeeded by | Ali Babacan |
| Minister of State | |
| In office 28 June 1996 – 30 June 1997 |
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| Prime Minister | Necmettin Erbakan |
| Member of the Grand National Assembly | |
| In office 20 October 1991 – 28 August 2007 |
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| Constituency | Kayseri (1991, 1995, 1999, 2002, 2007) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 October 1950 Kayseri, Turkey |
| Political party | Independent (2007–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
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| Spouse |
Hayrünnisa Özyurt
(m. 1980) |
| Children | Ahmed Münir Gül Mehmed Emre Gül Kübra Gül |
| Alma mater | Istanbul University University of Exeter |
| Signature |  |
| Website | Official website: https://web.archive.org/web/20140909184646/http://www.abdullahgul.gen.tr/pages/ |
Abdullah Gül (born 29 October 1950) is a Turkish politician. He was the 11th President of Turkey from 2007 to 2014. Before that, he was the Prime Minister for a short time from 2002 to 2003. He also served as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister from 2003 to 2007.
Gül started his political journey with parties that had strong religious views. He became a Member of Parliament for Kayseri in 1991. He was re-elected several times. When his party was banned, he joined the Virtue Party. Later, he helped create the more moderate Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2001.
He became Prime Minister after the AKP won the 2002 election. This happened because the party leader, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was not allowed to hold office yet. Gül's government helped remove this ban. After that, Erdoğan became Prime Minister, and Gül took on the roles of Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. In 2007, he was elected President. This was a big moment because he was the first president with a background in Islamic politics.
As president, Gül sometimes faced criticism for signing laws that some people thought were not fair or went against the country's rules. He tried to find a middle ground during big protests and government issues.
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Early Life and Education
Abdullah Gül was born in Kayseri, Turkey, on 29 October 1950. This date is also Republic Day in Turkey.
Education and Early Career
Gül studied Economics at Istanbul University. He also spent two years studying in London at the University of Exeter. When he returned to Turkey in 1978, he taught at Sakarya University. He earned his PhD from Istanbul University in 1983. From 1983 to 1991, he worked at the Islamic Development Bank in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He has also received honorary degrees from other universities.
Starting in Politics
Gül became interested in politics during his high school years. In university, he joined a student group with religious and nationalist ideas.
He was first elected to the Turkish parliament in 1991. He represented the Welfare Party from Kayseri. He was re-elected in 1995. At that time, he made some strong statements about changing Turkey's political system. These statements caused debate later when he ran for president.
In 1999, he was elected again as a member of the Virtue Party. This party was later banned. Gül's views had become more moderate by this time. He was part of a group of politicians who wanted to reform their party. In 2001, this group, including Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, founded the Justice and Development Party (AKP). They presented it as a moderate conservative party. Gül was elected to parliament again for the AKP in 2002.
In 2002, Gül explained that the AKP was different from his old party. He said the AKP believed that being modern and being Muslim could go together. He also said they accepted modern ideas like human rights and a market economy.
Becoming Prime Minister
After the Justice and Development Party (AKP) won the 2002 election, Abdullah Gül became Prime Minister. This was because the AKP leader, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was not allowed to be in politics at that time.
Gül's government worked to change the law so Erdoğan could return to politics. After the law was changed, Erdoğan became Prime Minister in March 2003. Gül then became the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister.
As Foreign Minister
As Foreign Minister from 2003, Gül played a key role in Turkey's efforts to join the European Union. He also worked to improve relations with countries like Syria and other Turkic-speaking nations. He met with leaders from other countries, including U.S. President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Presidency (2007–2014)
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In April 2007, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that Gül would be the AKP's candidate for president. This idea faced strong opposition from those who supported a secular (non-religious) government. The election process was difficult at first.
After a new election in July 2007, the AKP again nominated Gül for president. He was elected president on 28 August 2007. He was sworn in right away. This was a significant moment because he was the first president of Turkey with a background in Islamic politics.
Some people did not attend his swearing-in ceremony. This showed the political tensions at the time. His presidency was seen as a "new era" in Turkish politics.
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In September 2008, Gül became the first Turkish leader to visit Armenia. He met with the Armenian President to discuss ways to solve problems between the two countries.
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In November 2011, President Gül visited the United Kingdom as a guest of Queen Elizabeth II. He met with political and business leaders. He was also honored at a state dinner at Buckingham Palace.
In November 2013, Gül spoke about Islamophobia at a meeting in Istanbul. He urged Muslim countries to fight against it. He said that terrorism should not be linked to Islam, which he called a religion of love and tolerance.
Views on the Middle East
Abdullah Gül has spoken about the importance of peace in the Middle East. He believes in creating a fair peace. He has also talked about the need for democracy in Arab countries. He said that democracy is more than just elections. It also needs strong institutions like the rule of law, fairness, equality, and freedom of speech and religion.
Honors and Medals
National Honors
| Ribbon bar | Award or decoration | Country | Date | Place | Note | Ref. |
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| Medal of Honor of the Republic of Turkey |  Turkey |
28 August 2014 | Ankara |
Foreign Honors
| Ribbon bar | Award or decoration | Country | Date | Place | Note | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Pro Merito medal by European Council |  European Union |
2002 | Brussels | ||
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Member 1st Class Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud |  Saudi Arabia |
9 November 2007 | Ankara | The order was named after Abdulaziz Al Saud. | |
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Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath |  United Kingdom |
13 May 2008 | Ankara | British order of chivalry. | |
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Medal "10 years of Astana" |  Kazakhstan |
4 July 2008 | Astana | ||
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Grand Cordon of the Order of Independence |  Qatar |
17 August 2009 | Istanbul | ||
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Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry |  Portugal |
12 May 2009 | Ankara | Portuguese National Order of Knighthood. | |
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Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic |  Italy |
17 November 2009 | Ankara | The highest ranking honor of the Italian Republic | |
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Collar of the Order of Mubarak the Great |  Kuwait |
21 December 2009 | Kuwait City | ||
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2010 Chatham House Prize | United Kingdom |
20 March 2010 | London | Gul awarded "Statesman of the Year" by Queen Elizabeth II. | |
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Grand Cordon of the Order of Valourf |  Cameroon |
16 March 2010 | Yaoundé | Second highest order in Cameroon. | |
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Nishan-e-Pakistan |  Pakistan |
31 March 2010 | Islamabad | Pakistan's highest civil order. | |
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Grand Cross with Chain Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary |  Hungary |
15 November 2011 | Ankara | The highest state order and second class of Hungary. | |
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Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion |  The Netherlands |
16 April 2012 | Amsterdam | Netherlands' Lion, established in 1815. | |
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Recipient of the Order of the Golden Eagle | Kazakhstan |
11 October 2012 | Ankara | The highest decoration of Kazakhstan. | |
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Knight of the Order of the Seraphim |  Sweden |
11 March 2013 | Stockholm | The highest order awarded by Swedish Royalty | |
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Member of St. George's Order of Victory |  Georgia |
19 April 2013 | Ankara | Second highest state decoration awarded by President of Georgia. | |
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Recipient of the Star of President Order |  Turkmenistan |
29 May 2013 | Ashgabat | The first order given to foreign president in Turkmenistan. | |
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Grand Cross with Collar of Order of St. Olav |  Norway |
5 November 2013 | Ankara | The highest ranking honor of the Kingdom of Norway. | |
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Recipient of the Heydar Aliyev Order |  Azerbaijan |
12 November 2013 | Ankara | The highest national order of Azerbaijan. | |
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Knight of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau |  Luxembourg |
18 November 2013 | Ankara | The highest national order in Luxembourg. | |
| Magtymguly International Prize | Turkmenistan |
3 June 2014 | Ankara | |||
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Recipient of the Order of the State of Northern Cyprus |  Northern Cyprus |
19 July 2014 | Northern Nicosia | The highest national order in Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. | |
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Recipient of the Danaker Order |  Kyrgyzstan |
8 September 2014 | Istanbul | The highest national order in Kyrgyzstan. |
See Also
- Çankaya Köşkü
- List of presidential trips made by Abdullah Gül
- Abdullah Gül University
- Abdullah Gül Interchange
