Coşkun Kırca (27 March 1927 in

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

– 24 February 2005 in Istanbul) was a Turkish diplomat, journalist and

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 ...

. He served as

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

of Turkey in 1995. He was at first a member of the Republican People's Party (CHP), then of the

Republican Reliance Party Republican Reliance Party ( tr, Cumhuriyetçi Güven Partisi, CGP) was a former party in Turkey. Background The Republican People's Party (CHP) which is usually credited as the founder of the Turkish Republic in 1923 was the oldest party in Tur ...

(CGP), then of the

True Path Party The True Path Party ( tr, Doğru Yol Partisi, DYP) was a centre-right political party in Turkey, active from 1983 to 2007. For most of its history, the party's central figure was Süleyman Demirel, a former Prime Minister of Turkey who previously ...

(DYP).

Biography

He was born in Istanbul,

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

in 1927. He attended the

Galatasaray High School Galatasaray High School ( tr, Galatasaray Lisesi, french: Lycée de Galatasaray), established in what was then Constantinople and is now Istanbul, in 1481, is the oldest high school in Turkey. It is also the second-oldest Turkish educational in ...

in Istanbul and graduated from the School of Law at Istanbul University. On 12 March 1985 the Turkish embassy in Ottawa, where Kirca served as Ambassador, was attacked by Armenian Revolutionary Army militants. Kirca escaped by leaping from the second floor window at the back of the embassy, breaking his right arm, right leg and pelvis. After the attack, he remained in Canada as ambassador for several years before returning to Turkey, where he served in many high-level state posts, including foreign minister (

51st government of Turkey The 51st government of Turkey (5 October 1995 – 30 October 1995) was a minority government led by Tansu Çiller. Background Both the 49th and 50th governments were True Path Party and Social Democratic Populist Party (SHP) coalition governm ...

). When he was a member of

Turkish Parliament The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( tr, ), usually referred to simply as the TBMM or Parliament ( tr, or ''Parlamento''), is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Consti ...

for the DYP, he voiced support for lifting the parliamentary immunity of the pro-Kurdish parliamentarians of the People's Labour Party (DEP).deeming it detrimental for the Turkish nation to leave them within the "democratic process". Kirca died of a heart attack in Istanbul at the age of 77. He was buried at the

Feriköy Cemetery The Feriköy Cemetery ( tr, Feriköy Mezarlığı) is a burial ground situated in Feriköy quarter of Şişli district on the European part of Istanbul, Turkey. It is administered by the Metropolitan Municipality. Many prominent figures from the ...

, Istanbul the next day, almost exactly 20 years after his brush with death in Ottawa. He was married and had 3 children. He was one of the founders of

Galatasaray University Galatasaray University ( tr, Galatasaray Üniversitesi, french: Université Galatasaray) is a Turkish university established in İstanbul, Turkey in 1992, following an agreement signed in the presence of President François Mitterrand of France ...

References

1927 births Diplomats from Istanbul Republican People's Party (Turkey) politicians Republican Reliance Party politicians 20th-century Turkish politicians Democrat Party (Turkey, current) politicians Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Deputies of Istanbul Permanent Representatives of Turkey to NATO Permanent Representatives of Turkey to the United Nations Ambassadors of Turkey to Canada Turkish journalists Galatasaray High School alumni Istanbul University Faculty of Law alumni 2005 deaths Burials at Feriköy Cemetery Members of the 51st government of Turkey Members of the 52nd government of Turkey Ministers of State of Turkey 20th-century journalists {{Turkey-journalist-stub

Biography

See also

References