Distinguished Service Award of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs


The Distinguished Service Award of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is civil award issued by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The award consists of a gold medal set and a certificate signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The legal basis of the award is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Directive No. 155 dating from 14 November 1989.

Criteria

The award is given to locals and foreigners who have demonstrated exceptional success in explaining Turkey in the world stage, in the successful implementation of its foreign policy, in the protection and development of its interests, and in the promotion of its history, language, culture and art. The award is also given to those who have done admirable services in other matters falling within the scope of the Ministry's duties and responsibilities.

Nomination and approval procedures

Nominations for the Distinguished Service Award are normally initiated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. However, officials at deputy ministry or higher level who wish to recommend an individual or organization for this award may do so by submitting a memorandum of justification, cleared by the Director General, to the Ministry.

Recipients

The following people and organizations have been awarded:
DateNameNotes
1989Dr. John P. McGovernAmerican allergist and investor
1989Feyyaz TokarTurkish journalist
1989Dieter Schmidt
1989Pierre Dubois
1989Nejat Seyfullah Taşhan
1989İlhan Çevik
1989Hanns Seidel Foundation
1990Gunnar JarringSwedish diplomat
1990Robert Arzano
1991Şarık Tara
1991Dr. Nejat EczacıbaşıTurkish chemist and entrepreneur
1991Prof. Dr. William HaleBritish scholar
1991Prof. Dr. Mümtaz SoysalTurkish political scientist
1991
1991Prof. Halil İnalcık
1991Prof. Geoffrey LewisBritish scholar
1997Şakir Eczacıbaşı
1997Prof. Anna Masala
1998Wim Antoon Mateman
1998Frederic Bennett
1998Takashi Morinaga
1998Toshiyuki Fujiwara
1999Chinghiz AitmatovKyrgyz author
1999Cha Hak Koo
1999Syed Yusuf
1999Albert de Vidas
2000Prof. Dr. Talat Halman
2000Prof. Dr. İhsan DoğramacıTurkish paediatrician,
2001Süleyman DemirelFormer president of Turkey
2001Necati Münir ErtegünTurkish cypriot jurist
2001Turkish diplomats who saved the lives of Jews during the Holocaust
They are mentioned with the then titles
2001Those who have been wounded during their duty in the Ministry
  • Ambassador Coşkun Kırca
  • Ambassador
  • Ambassador Doğan Türkmen
  • Consul Kaya İnal
  • Counsellor Yurtsev Mıhçıoğlu
  • Counsellor Cavit Demir
  • Counsellor Deniz Bölükbaşı
  • First Secretary Hasan Servet Öktem
  • Second Secretary Gökberk Ergenekon
  • Atasay Mıhçıoğlu, son of Counsellor Yurtsev Mıhçıoğlu
  • Attaché Hüseyin Kerimoğlu
  • Attaché Tahsin Güvenç
  • Sevil Özmen, spouse of attaché Galip Özmen
  • Kaan Özmen, son of attaché Galip Özmen
  • Attaché Nilgün Keçeci
  • Driver Necati Kaya
    		• They are mentioned with the then titles
    2001Prof. Dusanka Lukaç
    2001Hugo Gobbi
    2001Prof. Pierre OberlingFrench Historian
    2001Prof. Kraus Kreiser
    2001Karl Grabbe
    2001Prof. Bosnian linguist
    2001Michele Nicolas
    2001Marthe Bernus-Taylor
    2001Annie Berthier
    2001Jacques Tobies
    2001Teresa Batesti
    2001Hubert Astier
    2001Béatrix Saule
    2001French archaeologist
    2001Nevin Menemencioğlu
    2001Henri Adam
    2001Hemachandra WijeratneSri Lankan diplomat
    2001Dr. Lee Si-Hyung
    2001Emile Noel
    2001David LevyIsraeli politician
    2001Francisco Uribe Laso
    2001Nihat Boytüzün
    2001Alexendre Misk
    2002Ahmet Ertegün
    2002Elias Mendoza Habersberger
    2002Prof. Marc Waelkens
    2002Manas University
    2002Erik Cornell
    2002Sture Theolin
    2002Henrik Liljegren
    2002Mustafa Arhan
    2002Şeref Arhan
    2002Sabahattin Arhan
    2002Dr. Andrew Mango
    2002Prof. Turkish Cypriot historian
    2002Dr. Sachihiro OmuraJapanese archaeologist
    2002Ahmet Çalık
    2002Erol Tabanca
    2002Prof. Manfred KorfmannGerman archeologist
    2002Edzard ReuterGerman businessperson
    2002Michael Ackermann
    2002Saduman Gürbüz
    2002Dr. Aydın Yurtçu
    2002Demir Delen
    2002Natalya Baranova
    2002Prof. Jean-Paul RouxFrench Turkologist
    2002Gökşin Sipahioğlu
    2002Dr. Demir Fırat Önger
    2002Jean Pierre Salvetat
    2002Sandra Fei
    2002Prof. Hungarian Turkologist
    2002Union of Jews from Türkiye in Israel
    2002Bruce Ruxton
    2002Vezhdi Rashidov
    2002Hans Christian Krüger
    2002Heinrich Klebes
    2002Otto von Habsburg
    2002Sim Jae-DuckSouth Korean congressman
    2002Nüzhen Önen
    2002Sevim Önen
    2003Dr. Elías Mendoza Habersperger
    2003Feni Atatürk High School in Dhaka
    2005Prof. Jaemahn Sulh
    2005Dr. Fatih Birol
    2005Prof. Dr. Erik-Jan ZürcherDutch Turkologist
    2005Antony Burgmans
    2006Dr. Till Becker
    13 March 2006Prof. Dr. Nurhan Atasoy
    13 March 2006Dr. Turkish historian
    13 March 2006Dr. Turkish art historian
    2007Prof. Japanese sociologist
    7 April 2007Prof. Dr. Turkish academic
    2007Prof. Spanish historian
    2008Ly SeppelEstonian poet
    2009Mehmet Aykut Eken
    2009Harry Blackley
    2009Mohammed Al-WohaibiOmani Ambassador
    2010Prof. Norwegian Turkologist
    2010Abdulwahab Mahmoud SheikhSaudi Arabian Consul General
    18 December 2014Nabil MaaroufPalestinian ambassador
    27 December 2014Muhammad Haroon ShaukatPakistani ambassador
    3 May 2016Bonnie Joy KaslanHonorary Consul General in San Francisco
    4 October 2017Secretary General of TURKSOY
    5 October 2017Irina BokovaBulgarian Director-General of UNESCO
    5 November 2017Justin RoseEnglish professional golfer
    13 August 2018Ömer Engin LütemTurkish ambassador
    13 August 2018Turkish ambassador
    13 August 2018Ertuğrul ApakanTurkish ambassador
    5 December 2018Prof. Dr. Stanislav StachowskiPolish Turkologist
    5 December 2018Prof. Dr. Tadeusz MajdaPolish Turkologist
    18 May 2019Dr. Eusebio Leal SpenglerCuban historian
    12 October 2020Sami KohenTurkish journalist
    20 November 2020Yeşim Meço DavutoğluTurkish philanthropist