Consulate
Mehmet RüÅŸtü Karabıyık
From the Kingdom of Lesotho, by the year 2014 I was appointed as Honorary Consul of Van to the Republic of Turkey .
My story
My story started is 1500 years ago
My story dating back to 1500 years backwards originates from the Middle East at my paternal side and from the Central Asia at my maternal side.
My family emerged in Akre (within the borders of Iraq) about 1000 years ago, enlarged then through marriage with its branch (now in Iran), and settled in Derik used to be under the flag of “HOÅžAB” which is now in the district of Gürpınar in the 100-year city of ours, Van.
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We have ancestors in Van, Hakkari, Şırnak, Northern Iraq, Iran and Syria. My family is the older generation of Giadin clan, Mamed Piran branch of ERTOŞİ Tribe. Colonel Mehmet Saîd Efendi is my great grandfather who was the commander of Regional Tribes of the Ottoman Empire. He lived in Mosul and Damascus, and served in the fronts of Iran, Iraq and Syria.
He rendered critical service in the independence war of Turkish Republic. He is mentioned in official history books. His son and my grandfather Mehmet Emin Efendi studied in Damascus and Egypt Madrasas to become a mufti with a high religious reputation, and to have served religious guidance in this region for years. Being a civil engineer, my father Abdulalim Bey worked in Turkey’s only official petroleum institution, T.P.A.O., for years after he has started his career at the Ministry of Defence (Defence Industry). He is a world record holding bureaucrat who worked as General Manager in respectively Ä°SFALT and Ä°STAÇ of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality during our esteemed Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan’s period of mayoralty. My father has had global projects in the fields of roads and substructures, environment and recycling. He still works as Deputy President of Local Administrations. My mother Fatma Nadire Hanım is a journalist graduated from the printing and publishing programme. Her father (my grandfather) Abdullah RüÅŸtü KayıkçıoÄŸlu Bey died as the senior member of Justice Commission in Turkey after he had worked as Ankara Chief Prosecutor and then as the judge of the Supreme Court. My mother’s grandfather was a military administrator in Damascus of the Ottoman Empire and her mother was an only child. My mother is a housewife at the moment. My sister is an international journalist and European Union specialist with her master’s degree in International Journalism from London City University. She still works as a specialist at European Union desk of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
Being a civil engineer, my uncle Cüneyt KARABIYIK started his career at Çitosan and has continued with General Management of DÄ°SKÄ°, Van MP during 22nd period, and still a membership of Advisory Board at Association of Turkish Parliamentarians.
My wife is Bulgarian citizen and draftswoman. My wife and my children are both Turkish and Bulgarian passport holders.
My family includes a number of engineers, lawyers, businessmen and politicians. Several companies of construction, substructure, automotive and energy are owned by my family that has members who live in Sweden, Germany, UK, Libya, Iraq, Iran, Syria and Bulgaria where they own many firms.
I have got both family relationships and commercial links with Bulgaria. Because I have got a Bulgarian wife, I carry out commercial relations through my company named 3Z which I founded in Sofia in 2003. I also own a house and lands in Kırcali.
I have strong relations with Iraq Kurdish Regional Government. I render consultancy to the Iraqi company, Pro-Design. I am also a member of the ruling party, PDK.In Syria and Iran are continuing relationship with the family.
