Vahit Melih Halefoğlu (19 November 1919 – 20 January 2017) was a Turkish

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...

and

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or interna ...

. Following his education at the School of Political Science in Ankara University in 1942 he entered the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The enti ...

. Between 1962 and 1983, Halefoğlu served as ambassador in

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

(1962–1965),

Kuwait City Kuwait City ( ar, مدينة الكويت) is the capital and largest city of Kuwait. Located at the heart of the country on the south shore of Kuwait Bay on the Persian Gulf, it is the political, cultural and economical centre of the emirate, ...

(1964–1965),

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

(1965–1966, 1982–1983),

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

(1966–1970) and

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...

(1972–1982). After the general elections held in 1983, Turgut Özal appointed him Minister of Foreign Affairs from outside of the

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

. At the intermediate general elections of 1986, he was elected deputy of

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

from the Motherland Party (ANAP). He did not stand for election in the 1987 general elections and ended his political career.

Personal life

Halefoğlu was married to Zehra Bereket. Her father, Suphi Bereket, was the first President of the Syrian Federation. Halefoğlu died on 20 January 2017 at the age of 97. He was interred at

Zincirlikuyu Cemetery __NOTOC__ The Zincirlikuyu Cemetery ( tr, Zincirlikuyu Mezarlığı) is a modern burial ground residing on the European part of Istanbul, Turkey. It is administered by the Metropolitan Municipality. Many prominent figures from the world of polit ...

following the religious funeral service in

Teşvikiye Mosque The Teşvikiye Mosque is a neo-baroque structure located in the Teşvikiye neighbourhood of Şişli district in Istanbul, Turkey. History The mosque was originally commissioned in 1794 by Sultan Selim III, but most of the current mosque that s ...

References

* Biyografi.net
''Biography of Vahit Halefoğlu''
1919 births 2017 deaths Turkish diplomats Ambassadors of Turkey to Kuwait Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Motherland Party (Turkey) politicians People from Antakya Ankara University Faculty of Political Sciences alumni Ambassadors of Turkey to West Germany Ambassadors of Turkey to the Soviet Union Ambassadors of Turkey to the Netherlands Ambassadors of Turkey to Lebanon Deputies of Ankara Members of the 45th government of Turkey Burials at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany {{Turkey-politician-stub

Personal life

See also

References