EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY

Contact

EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY
Chancery: Krunska 73, Belgrade
Tel: +381 (11) 3332-400 (0-24 h)
Fax: +381 (11) 3332-433
E-mail: embassy.belgrade@mfa.gov.tr
Web page:  http://belgrad.be.mfa.gov.tr/Mission


Office of the Commercial Counsellor
Address: Maglajska 8/3, Belgrade
Tel: +381 (11) 3676-221
Fax: +381 (11) 3676-219
E-mail: belgrad@ekonomi.gov.tr

Office of the Culture and Tourism Counsellor
Address: Francuska 17, Belgrade
Tel: +381 (11) 3349-041, +381 (11) 3349-042
Fax: +381 (11) 3349-043
E-mail: info@posetitursku.com

Turkish International Cooperation Agency (TIKA)
Coordination Office
Užička 58b, Belgrade
Tel/Fax: +381 (11) 2662-023
E-mail: belgrad@tika.gov.tr


Working hours:
Monday – Friday: 09.00-12.30h and 14.00-17.00h
Monday – Friday: 09.00-16.00h (Consular Section)


H.E. Mr.Tanju BILGIÇ

H.E. Mr.Tanju BILGIÇ

H.E. Tanju Bilgiç  graduated from the International Faculty of Political Science at the University of Ankara, received his Master’s degree from the University of Padova Human Rights and Democratisation Programme and completed his PhD in International Relations at the Institute of Social Sciences of Gazi University.

His previous posts include: Undersecretariat of Treasury and Foreign Trade – Assistant Expert (1994);

Prime Ministry, Undersecretariat of Treasury – Assistant Expert (1995);

Deputy Directorate-General for North America– Attaché (1996);

Deputy Directorate-General for the Middle East – Attaché (1997-1998);

Attaché, Third Secretary in Sarajevo (1998-2000);

Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Copenhagen – Third Secretary then Second Secretary in Copenhagen (2000-2003);

Second Secretary then First Secretary at the Deputy Directorate-General for the Council of Europe and Human Rights (2003-2005);

First Secretary, Counsellor at the Permanent Representation at the Council of Europe (2005-2008);

Head of Section at the Deputy Directorate-General for the north-eastern Mediterranean (2008-2010);

Deputy Head of Department of the Directorate-General for the north-eastern Mediterranean (2010-2011);

Consul General in St. Petersburg (2011-2014) and Deputy Director General at the Deputy Directorate-General for Information (from 2014).

Mr Bilgiç speaks English and French.

National Day: October 29th – Republic Day

Turkey

Officially the Republic of Turkey is a parliamentary republic in Eurasia, largely located in Western Asia, with the smaller portion of Eastern Thrace in Southeast Europe. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Syria and Iraq to the south; Iran, Armenia, and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan to the east; Georgia to the northeast; Bulgaria to the northwest; and Greece to the west. The Black Sea is to the north, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Aegean Sea to the west. The Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles (which together form the Turkish Straits) demarcate the boundary between Thrace and Anatolia; they also separate Europe and Asia. Turkey’s location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia makes it a country of significant geostrategic importance.

Turkey has been inhabited since the paleolithic age, including various ancient Anatolian civilizations, Aeolian, Dorian and Ionian Greeks, Thracians, Armenians, and Assyrians. After Alexander the Great’s conquest, the area was Hellenized, a process which continued under the Roman Empire and its transition into the Byzantine Empire. The Seljuk Turks began migrating into the area in the 11th century, starting the process of Turkification, which was greatly accelerated by the Seljuk victory over the Byzantines at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. The Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm ruled Anatolia until the Mongol invasion in 1243, upon which it disintegrated into several small Turkish beyliks.

Starting from the late 13th century, the Ottomans united Anatolia and created an empire encompassing much of Southeastern Europe, Western Asia and North Africa, becoming a major power in Eurasia and Africa during the early modern period. The empire reached the peak of its power between the 15th and 17th centuries, especially during the 1520–66 reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. After the second Ottoman siege of Vienna in 1683 and the end of the Great Turkish War in 1699, the Ottoman Empire entered a long period of decline. The Tanzimat reforms of the 19th century, which aimed to modernize the Ottoman state, proved to be inadequate in most fields, and failed to stop the dissolution of the empire. The Ottoman Empire entered World War I (1914–18) on the side of the Central Powers and was ultimately defeated. During the war, major atrocities were committed by the Ottoman government against its Armenian, Assyrian and Pontic Greek citizens. Following the war, the huge conglomeration of territories and peoples that formerly comprised the Ottoman Empire was divided into several new states. The Turkish War of Independence (1919–22), initiated by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his colleagues in Anatolia, resulted in the establishment of the modern Republic of Turkey in 1923, with Atatürk as its first president.

Turkey is a democratic, secular, unitary, constitutional republic with a diverse cultural heritage. The country’s official language is Turkish, a Turkic language spoken natively by approximately 85 percent of the population. According to the World Factbook, 70–75 percent of the population are ethnic Turks, while the Kurds are the largest minority at 18%. The vast majority of the population is Sunni Muslim, with Alevis making up the largest religious minority. Turkey is a member of the UN, NATO, OECD, OSCE, OIC and the G-20. After becoming one of the first members of the Council of Europe in 1949, Turkey became an associate member of the EEC in 1963, joined the EU Customs Union in 1995 and started full membership negotiations with the European Union in 2005. Turkey’s growing economy and diplomatic initiatives have led to its recognition as a regional power.