Burak Akçapar (born 27 May 1967 in Istanbul) is a Turkish diplomat and one of the three Turkish Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs. He served as the Ambassador of Türkiye to Spain and India and non-resident Ambassador to Sri Lanka (2011-12), Maldives and Nepal. He is an Associate Professor of International Relations, and has published three books.
Education
He obtained his Bachelors degree in Political Science, from Boğaziçi University in 1987, and received his Doctor of the Science of Law degree (magna cum laude) from University of Hamburg, he has an Honorary Doctorate degree from Rai University in the state of Gujarat in 2015.
Diplomatic Career
Akçapar started working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1988.
He is the 2002 receipient of NATO Secretary General's Award for Excellence for lasting contributions to the North Atlantic Alliance.
During his tenure at NATO, as Facilitator of the Southeast Europe Security Assistance Group, he led the efforts to promote regional cooperation among Balkan countries. Achievements included the Southeast Europe Common Assessment Paper on Regional Security Challenges and Opportunities (SEECAP) adopted by Ministers in Budapest on 29 May 2001.
Research and publications
He was a columnist at Sunday Standard and the New Indian Express.
He has published three books; People’s Mission to the Ottoman Empire, Turkey’s New European Era, The International Law of Conventional Arms Control in Europe.
His research interests include international law, law of the sea, international security and international affairs. Taught courses on Political Risk Assessment at TOBB ETU and on problems in international security at METU in Ankara. His most recent book "People's Mission to the Ottoman Empire: Dr. Ansari and the Indian Medical Mission, 1912-13" is published by the Oxford University Press in 2014. He has launched the book in 2015 at Oxford University with a lecture published by the University as a podcast. He previously published an extensive study of Turkey's foreign policy and national security culture in "Turkey's New European Era" (2007, Rowman and Littlefield). Previous book: "The International Law of Conventional Arms Control in Europe" (Nomos, 1996). Also co-authored "The Debate on Democratization in the Broader Middle East and North Africa" (2004, Tesev). Other publications include among others "PfP as an Agent of Continuity and Change in the Euro-Atlantic Region" (in Gustav Schmidt ed. A History of Nato, 2001, Palgrave) and "Turkey's EU Accession" (2006, Yale Journal of International Relations) as well as "The Mutual Existence of Nascent and Senescent World Orders" (2009, Portland State University).
His book Turkey's New European Era: Foreign Policy on the Road to EU Membership received praise: "This is a thought-provoking study by a Turkish diplomat with well-marshaled arguments. Akçapar provides the best and most up-to-date study of the benefits that Turkey offers European Union countries for gaining full membership in the EU. . . . Well written and argued, this book makes clear the growing importance of Turkey as a political player on the global stage, especially in the Middle East. Highly recommended."—Choice
"Turkey's bid for membership in the European Union could be one of the most important geopolitical events of the next few decades, with profound consequences for Europe's identity, the security and politics of Eurasia and the Middle East, and the debate about democracy in Muslim countries. Burak Akçapar, as one of the sharpest and most astute members of a new generation of Turkish diplomats, has a unique ringside seat on this unfolding drama. His book is worth reading for anyone with an interest in Europe's future."—Mark Leonard, Centre for European Reform
"Burak Akcapar's Turkey's New European Era is must-reading for anyone interested in Turkey and Europe. Akcapar's is the fresh and powerful voice of a younger generation of strategic thinkers in a country whose importance is destined to grow in the years ahead. His views on Turkey's quest to join the European Union highlight how much is at stake and how much better we need to understand these critical issues."—Ronald D. Asmus, Director, Transatlantic Center of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.