Individuals and events related to Turkey in

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

Incumbents

* President:

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician serving as the List of presidents of Turkey, 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as prime minister of Turkey from 2003 to 2014 and as Lis ...

* 29th

Speaker of the Grand National Assembly This article lists the speakers of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. The name of the parliament of the Republic of Turkey, originally and currently the Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( tr, Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi) since its est ...

: Mustafa Şentop * President of the Constitutional Court:

Zühtü Arslan Zühtü Arslan (born 1 January 1964) is a high-ranked judge and the president of the Constitutional Court of Turkey since February 10, 2015. Arslan was born in Sorgun district of the Yozgat Province in Turkey. In 1987 he graduated from Ankara ...

* Chief of the Turkish General Staff of the Armed Forces:

Yaşar Güler Yaşar Güler (born September 18, 1954) is a Turkish general who currently serves as the 30th Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, serving in the position since he succeeded Hulusi Akar in July 2018. Career He enlisted in the ...

* Government:

66th government of Turkey The Fourth Erdoğan Cabinet is the 66th government of the Republic of Turkey, which was declared on 9 July 2018. It is the first cabinet after Turkey's transition into a presidential republic. It was also the first cabinet that did not require pa ...

* Cabinet:

Fourth Erdoğan Cabinet The Fourth Erdoğan Cabinet is the 66th government of the Republic of Turkey, which was declared on 9 July 2018. It is the first cabinet after Turkey's transition into a presidential republic. It was also the first cabinet that did not require pa ...

Events

Ongoing

* COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey *

2016–present purges in Turkey The 2016–present purges in Turkey are a series of purges by the Government of Turkey enabled by a state of emergency in reaction to the 15 July failed ''coup d'état''. The purges began with the arrest of Turkish Armed Forces personnel repor ...

* 2018–2022 Turkish currency and debt crisis

January

* 1 January: ** The minister of health,

Fahrettin Koca Fahrettin Koca (born 2 January 1965) is a Turkish physician and politician. He is the List of Ministers of Health of Turkey, minister of health of the Cabinet Erdoğan IV, 66th government of Turkey. Early life and education Fahrettin Koca was b ...

, announces the identification of the first mutated

coronavirus Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the com ...

case in Turkey, which had originated from the United Kingdom. ** The

over-the-top media service An over-the-top (OTT) media service is a media service offered directly to viewers via the Internet. OTT bypasses cable, broadcast, and satellite television platforms: the types of companies that traditionally act as controllers or distributors ...

Exxen is made available to the public. * 4 January:

2021 Boğaziçi University protests The 2021 Boğaziçi University protests were demonstrations that started on 4 January against the appointment of Melih Bulu by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as rector of Boğaziçi University, which is one of the top academic institutions in Tu ...

- Students protest

Melih Bulu Melih Bulu (born 15 August 1970) is a Turkish academic and politician. Having served as the Justice and Development Party's Sarıyer District President in 2002, Bulu was previously a candidate for nomination in the 2009 local election and the ...

's appointment as the rector of Boğaziçi University. * 8 January: Türksat 5A satellite is launched at 02:15:00 UTC from

Cape Canaveral , image = cape canaveral.jpg , image_size = 300 , caption = View of Cape Canaveral from space in 1991 , map = Florida#USA , map_width = 300 , type =Cape , map_caption = Location in Florida , location ...

(CCSFS), SLC-40. * 10 January: An earthquake with a moment magnitude of 4.5 hits Ankara's Kalecik district at 10:53 pm local time. * 13 January: The Medicines and Medical Devices Agency approves the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use. The minister of health was the first person to get vaccinated. * 14 January: President

receives the COVID-19 vaccine.

February

* 9 February: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announces the National Space Program. * 10–14 February: The Turkish cross-border Operation Claw-Eagle 2 takes place in Iraq, during which 13 prisoners of the

Kurdistan Workers' Party The Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK is a Kurdish militant political organization and armed guerrilla movement, which historically operated throughout Kurdistan, but is now primarily based in the mountainous Kurdish-majority regions of south ...

(PKK) died.

March

* 1 March: Normalization and easing of COVID restrictions starts gradually in provinces, divided into 4 categories according to the risk assessment criteria. * 2 March: Erdoğan announces the Human Rights Action Plan. * 4 March: A Eurocopter AS532 Cougar crashes on its way from Bingöl to Tatvan. Eleven soldiers on board, as well as 8th Corps Commander

Osman Erbaş Lieutenant General Osman Erbaş (1962 – 4 March 2021) was a Turkish army officer. He was a keen proponent of the use of unmanned aerial vehicles by the Turkish Army in anti-terrorism operations. In 2015 he was appointed commander of the 6th Mec ...

, are killed in the crash. * 10 March: The foundation of the 3rd reactor is laid at the

Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant The Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant ( tr, Akkuyu Nükleer Güç Santrali) is the only large nuclear power plant in Turkey and is under construction at Akkuyu, in Büyükeceli, Mersin Province. It is expected to generate around 10% of the country's ...

at the virtual ceremony attended by Erdoğan and Russian President Vladimir Putin. * 12 March: Erdoğan announces the Economic Reform package. * 20 March: Erdoğan announces his country's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention by a presidential decree published in the official government gazette. Turkey becomes the first country to withdraw from it.

April

* 4 April: A statement is issued by 104 admirals who retired from the

Turkish Naval Forces The Turkish Naval Forces ( tr, ), or Turkish Navy ( tr, ) is the naval warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. The modern naval traditions and customs of the Turkish Navy can be traced back to 10 July 1920, when it was establis ...

, to warn about potential failure by the government to follow and obey the

Montreux Convention The (Montreux) Convention regarding the Regime of the Straits, often known simply as the Montreux Convention, is an international agreement governing the Bosporus and Dardanelles Straits in Turkey. Signed on 20 July 1936 at the Montreux Palace ...

, the

Istanbul Canal The Istanbul Canal ( tr, Kanal İstanbul) is a project for an artificial sea-level waterway, which is planned by Turkey on East Thrace, connecting the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara, and thus to the Aegean and Mediterranean seas. Istanbul Cana ...

project and Atatürk's principles and reforms. * 7 April: An NF-5 aircraft belonging to the

Turkish Stars The Turkish Stars ( tr, Türk Yıldızları) are the aerobatic demonstration team of the Turkish Air Force and the national aerobatics team of Turkey. The team was formed on November 7, 1992, and was named the Turkish Stars on January 11, 1993. ...

crashes due to an unknown reason during a training flight in the Karatay district of Konya. The pilot of the plane, Captain Burak Gençcelep, is killed. * 14 April: Beginning at 7 pm, a 2-week partial curfew starts to be enforced. Limitations are imposed as a result of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in many areas, with curfew restrictions added to cover the entire weekend and between 7 pm - 5 am on weekdays. * 29 April: A full closure is announced starting from 29 April at 7 pm until 17 May at 5 am. Education is suspended at all levels and exams were postponed. It is announced that intercity public transport vehicles will operate at 50% capacity. It is also announced that markets will be closed on Sundays.

June

* 4 June: Erdoğan announces the discovery of 135 billion m³ of natural gas in the Black Sea.

July

* 28 July:

2021 Turkey wildfires In July and August 2021, a series of more than two hundred wildfires burnt 1,700 square kilometres of forest in Turkey's Mediterranean Region in the worst-ever wildfire season in the country's history. The wildfires started in Manavgat, Antalya ...

begin.

August

* 6 August: The minister of national education

Ziya Selçuk Ziya Selçuk (born 1 May 1961) is a Turkish politician and educator. He is the former Minister of National Education. He was formerly a professor of education at Gazi University. Early life and education Selçuk was born on 1 Mayıs 1961 in E ...

resigns and is replaced by Mahmut Özer. * 11 August ** An anti-

Syrian Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...

riot A riot is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The property targete ...

erupts in the capital Ankara after the killing of a Turkish teenager by a Syrian refugee. ** Flash floods begin in the

Black Sea Region The Black Sea Region ( tr, Karadeniz Bölgesi) is a geographical region of Turkey. The largest city in the region is Samsun. Other big cities are Trabzon, Ordu, Tokat, Giresun, Rize, Amasya and Sinop. It is bordered by the Marmara Region to the ...

kill at least 38 people. * 14 August: General Directorate of Forestry announced that the firefighting plane rented from Russia crashed in Kahramanmaraş. All the crew, consisting of 3 Turkish and 5 Russian citizens, lost their lives.

September

* 21 and 26 September:

Teknofest Teknofest, short for Teknofest Aerospace and Technology Festival, is the largest aviation, aerospace, and technology festival of Turkey initially held at Istanbul Airport in September 2018 by the Turkish Technology Team Foundation (T3) in collabo ...

2021 was held at the Atatürk Airport.

October

* 6 October: The

Paris Agreement The Paris Agreement (french: Accord de Paris), often referred to as the Paris Accords or the Paris Climate Accords, is an international treaty on climate change. Adopted in 2015, the agreement covers climate change mitigation, Climate change a ...

was approved by the TBMM. * 29 October:

Atatürk Cultural Center The Atatürk Cultural Center ( ), commonly called the AKM, is a concert hall, theatre and cultural centre running along the eastern side of Taksim Square in Beyoğlu, Istanbul. In 2021, it reopened to the public as a state-of-the-art cultural com ...

was reopened after a series of reconstructions.

November

* 29–30 November: Due to the severe storm that occurred in the Marmara, Aegean and Western Black Sea regions, 7 people lost their lives and more than 50 people were injured.

December

* 10 December: Expo 2021 Hatay will take place in

Hatay Hatay Province ( tr, Hatay ili, ) is the southernmost province of Turkey. It is situated almost entirely outside Anatolia, along the eastern coast of the Levantine Sea. The province borders Syria to its south and east, the Turkish province of ...

city center and will continue until 30 May 2022. * 15–19 December: The

2021 FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship The 2021 FIVB Women's Club World Championship was the 14th edition of the tournament. For the first time it was held in Ankara, Turkey from 15 to 19 December. Six teams competed in the tournament, including two wild cards. Qualification Pools ...

was held in Ankara. * 19 December: Türksat 5B satellite was launched into space from

at 06:58 with a Falcon 9 rocket. * 22 December: The coronavirus vaccine TURKOVAC was authorized for emergency use.

Deaths

January

* 2 January - Aylin Özmenek, journalist (b. 1942) * 10 January - Ahmet Vefik Alp, architect and politician (b. 1948) * 16 January -

Muammer Sun Muammer Sun (15 October 1932 – 16 January 2021) was a Turkish composer of classical music. Biography Sun was born in Ankara. He entered the Military Band School in 1947 and the Ankara State Conservatory in 1953. He studied under Ahmet Adnan ...

, composer and music teacher (b. 1932) * 18 January - Dündar Ali Osmanoğlu, 45th Head of the House of Osman (b. 1930) * 29 January -

Varol Ürkmez Varol Ürkmez (1937 – 29 January 2021) was a Turkish footballer. He played in four matches for the Turkey national football team The Turkey national football team ( tr, Türkiye Millî Futbol Takımı) represents Turkey in men's internatio ...

, footballer (b. 1937)

February

* 4 February - Hüner Coşkuner, singer (b. 1963) * 9 February -

Doğan Cüceloğlu Mehmet Doğan Cüceloğlu (9 February 1938 – 16 February 2021) was a Turkish academic in media psychology and writer of several non-fiction books. Early years Mehmet Doğan Cüceloğlu was born as the youngest of eleven children in the Mukadd ...

, psychologists and writer (b. 1938) * 13 February - Kadir Topbaş, Previous

Mayor of Istanbul This is a list of mayors of Istanbul, Turkey. This covers the Ottoman Empire to the modern day; the name of the city in English is Constantinople during the Ottoman period and in the Republican era until 1930. Ottoman Empire During 1453–18 ...

(b. 1945) * 17 February - Özcan Arkoç, footballer (b. 1939) * 20 February -

Serpil Barlas Serpil Barlas (1957 – 20 February 2021) was a Turkish actress and singer. Biography Serpil was born in Istanbul to Kazım Polat and music soloist Aysel İpar. She began her acting and singing career in the 1960s and recorded 45 different track ...

, actress and singer (b. 1957) * 21 February - Abdülkadir Topkaç, astronomer (b. 1954)

March

* 4 March -

, army officer (b. 1962) * 5 March -

Suna Tanaltay Suna Tanaltay (22 April 1933 – 5 March 2021) was a Turkish writer, teacher, poet and psychologist. Life Suna Merze was born to Sami and Macide in Mersin, Turkey, on 22 April 1933. Her mother, Macide, was also a wet nurse to Nevit Kodallı, the ...

, writer, poet and psychologist (b. 1933) * 8 March -

Rasim Öztekin Rasim Öztekin () (14 January 1959 – 8 March 2021) was a Turkish actor. He appeared in more than forty films since 1985. Death Öztekin died of a heart attack on 8 March 2021 in Istanbul at the age of 62. He was buried at Zincirlikuyu Cemete ...

, actor (b. 1959) * 16 March - Erhan Önal, footballer (b. 1957) * 18 March - Mehmet Genç, historian (b. 1934)

April

* 10 April - Mehtap Ar, actress (b. 1957) * 14 April - Yıldırım Akbulut, Turkish politician (b. 1935) * 18 April -

Necdet Üruğ Mustafa Necdet Üruğ (19 February 1921 – 18 April 2021) was a Turkish general and the nephew of Faruk Gürler. Biography He was Commander of the First Army of Turkey (1978 – 1981) during the 1980 military coup. After the coup he was Comma ...

, General (b. 1921) * 22 April -

Selma Gürbüz Selma Gürbüz (1960 – 22 April 2021) was a Turkish painter and sculptor. Biography Gürbüz was born in Istanbul in 1960. She studied painting, photography and theatre at Exeter College of Art and Design in England in 1978, and continued wit ...

, painter and sculptor (b. 1960) * 23 April - Tuncay Becedek, footballer (b. 1942)

May

* 5 May - Emine Işınsu, writer (b. 1938) * 19 May - Oğuz Yılmaz, singer and songwriter (b. 1968)

June

* 2 June -

Hasan Saltık Hasan Saltık (; 1964 – 2 June 2021) was a Turkish record producer. He was the 1991 founder of Kalan Müzik, a Turkish independent record label company based in Istanbul specialized in releasing Saltık's recordings of traditional ethnic and fo ...

, record producer (b. 1964) * 14 June - Selçuk Tekay, composer and musician (b. 1953)

July

* 1 July -

Kartal Tibet Kartal Tibet (27 March 1939 – 1 July 2021) was a Turkish actor and film director. Some of his famous films include ''Ölmeyen Aşk'', ''Dağlar Kızı'', ''Senede Bir Gün'', ''Sultan'', ''Zübük'', ''Gol Kralı'', and '' Şalvar Davası''. T ...

, actor, director, screenwriter and producer (b. 1939) * 22 July - Şevket Sabancı, Businessman and Esas Holding's founder (b. 1936)

August

* 10 August - Sabina Toziya, actress (b. 1946) * 25 August -

Metin Çekmez Metin Çekmez (26 July 1945 – 25 August 2021) was a Turkish actor. Career He appeared in more than 20 films since 1972, and in numerous television series, including: *''Binbir Gece'' as Burhan Evliyaoglu * 20 Dakika, ''20 Dakkika'' as Necmetti ...

, actor (b. 1945) * 31 August -

Ferhan Şensoy Osman Ferhan Şensoy (26 February 1951 – 31 August 2021) was a Turkish actor, playwright and director. Private life Şensoy was born in Çarşamba district of Samsun Province in northern Turkey on 26 February 1951. After attending Galatasaray ...

, actor, playwright and stage director (b. 1951)

September

* 10 September -

Duygun Yarsuvat Duygun Yarsuvat (18 August 1937 – 10 September 2021) was a Turkish lawyer and former chairman of Galatasaray. Biography Yarsuvat graduated from Galatasaray High School in 1957. He then studied law at Istanbul University and graduated in 1961 ...

, lawyer (b. 1937) * 22 September - Doğan Kuban, architect (b. 1926)

October

* 1 October -

Oğuzhan Asiltürk Oğuzhan Asiltürk (25 May 1935 – 1 October 2021) was a Turkish politician. He served as Minister of Industry and Technology and Minister of the Interior as well as Chairman of the Executive Board of the Felicity Party. Biography Asiltürk at ...

, politician (b. 1935) * 18 October - Sami Kohen, journalist and columnist (b. 1928) * 31 October -

Doğan Akhanlı Doğan Akhanlı (; 18 March 1957 – 31 October 2021) was a Turkish-born German writer, and author of novels, plays, and essays, mostly in Turkish. He had been living in exile in Germany since 1992, after his political views led to several arre ...

, Writer (b. 1957)

November

* 1 November -

Semra Dinçer Semra Dinçer (25 July 1965 – 1 November 2021) was a Turkish actress. Dinçer was born in 1965, in Ankara. Despite not receiving a formal education in acting, she started her career in 1984 with a leading role in TRT series ''Köşe Dönüc ...

, actress (b. 1965) * 16 November -

Sezai Karakoç Ahmet Sezai Karakoç (22 January 1933 – 16 November 2021) was a Turkish writer, thinker, community leader, and poet. Biography Karakoç graduated from the Faculty of Political Science at Ankara University and worked in the finance sector for ...

, writer, thinker, community leader, and poet (b. 1933) * 23 November -

Hasan Fehmi Güneş Hasan Fehmi Güneş (1934 – 23 November 2021) was a Turkish jurist and politician who served as the interior minister in 1979. He was a member of the Turkish parliament for two terms from the Republican People's Party. Between 1975 and 1980 he ...

, jurist and politician (b. 1934) * 28 November -

Mustafa Cengiz Mustafa Cengiz (25 December 1949 – 28 November 2021) was a Former Bureaucrat and Turkish businessman who served as the president of sports club Galatasaray S.K. Early life Mustafa Cengiz was born in Nizip, Gaziantep Province, southeastern Tu ...

, businessman (b. 1949)

December

* 3 December -

Güldal Akşit Güldal Akşit (; 23 January 1960 – 3 December 2021) was a Turkish politician and the President of the Parliamentary Commission on Equal Opportunities for Men and Women. Biography Güldal Akşit was born in Malatya on 23 January 1960. Her fath ...

, politician (b. 1960) * 5 December -

Osman Arpacıoğlu Osman Arpacıoğlu (5 January 1947 – 5 December 2021) was a Turkish professional footballer. He has played as forward position. He started his professional career with Hacettepespor and he also played for Mersin İdman Yurdu, Fenerbahçe and ...

, footballer (b. 1947) * 6 December -

Teoman Duralı Şaban Teoman Duralı (7 February 1947 – 6 December 2021) was a Turkish philosopher, thinker and academician at the Department of Philosophy, Ibn Haldun University. He wrote many articles and books and was widely published in areas such as hist ...

, philosopher, thinker and academician (b. 1947) * 11 December -

Mecnur Çolak Mecnur Çolak (7 August 1967 – 11 December 2021) was a Turkish professional footballer who played as a forward. Biography Çolak played for Ludogorets Razgrad in his birth country Bulgaria and in Turkey for Süper Lig clubs Sarıyer, Fen ...

, footballer (b. 1967)

References

Notes

Citations

{{DEFAULTSORT:Turkey 2020s in Turkey Years of the 21st century in Turkey Turkey Turkey Turkey

Incumbents

Events

Ongoing

January

February

March

April

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Deaths

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

See also

References

Notes

Citations