French Ambassador to Turkey Bernard Émié on Wednesday hosted a reception at the embassy residence to present the award to Yakış on behalf of French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Delivering a speech at the ceremony, Émié described Yakış as a “perfect team player” between the two countries due to his intense efforts, his commitment and his personality.
“The French president, the grand master of the order, has decided to decorate you with the insignia of this order, which is an expression of gratitude felt for your commitment in service of Turkey’s interests in its relations with France,” Émié said in his speech.
Yakış, 71, was a career diplomat, until he became involved in politics with the establishment of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in 2001. He was the foreign minister of the 58th government, between November 2002 and March 2003, led by the then-prime minister, President Abdullah Gül. He has been the chairperson of the European Union Harmonization Committee in Parliament since 2002. Since January 2008 he has also served as chairman of the Turkey-France Parliamentary Friendship Group.
