former Foreign Minister of Turkey

Born in 1938 and having studied Political Science at Ankara University, Mr Yakis went on to join the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1962. During his tenure at the ministry, he served on various posts including at the NATO Defence College in Rome; the Turkish Delegation to NATO and the Turkish Embassy in Damascus. Following his time at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Yakis went on to become an ambassador to both Riyadh and Cairo, and later served as the Permanent Representative of Turkey to the United Nations. In 2001, Mr Yakis became the founding member of the Justice and Development Party (AK Parti) and its Vice Chairman in charge of International Relations and was elected as a member of parliament in November 2002. From 2003-2011, he has held positions as the Chairman of the EU Committee in the Turkish Parliament and co-Chairman of the Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary Commission.