BIOGRAPHY

Born in Ankara in 1976. He is originally from Bolu, Gerede.

Completed his primary education in Hazar Primary School, secondary and high school education in Muradiye College. In 1998 he graduated from Boğaziçi University, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Management Department where he was placed through central examination in which he was the top 42nd in Turkey.

Till 2000, he worked as a Director of Foreign Trade in private sector. He was granted scholarship for his MBA and Master of International Business by the University of Miami in Florida, so he moved to the USA.

Completing his graduate study in 2002, he started working at the Miami Branch of the New York based finance, global payments, and travel services company American Express, as a New Business Development Expert. Between 2005 and 2007 he worked as the Manager of International Sales & Business Development for Latin America & Caribbean in the same company.

In the 2007 Parliamentary Elections he put forward his candidature in the 1st district of Istanbul in 17th spot. For the 2 years following the election he served as the Advisor to the Prime Minister of Turkey on International Political and Economic Affairs. During this period, he completed the Diplomacy Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Turkish Diplomat Program of Oxford University and European Union Expert Program of Ankara University (ATAUM).

Between 2009-2011, he served as the Foreign Affairs Advisor to the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (GNAT). He accompanied to many of the Prime Minister’s and Speaker of GNAT’s domestic and foreign visits and took place in high level diplomatic meetings. He took the responsibility to plan, organize and carry out all parliamentary diplomacy and foreign affairs activities of the Speaker of GNAT.

He was elected as a Member of Parliament from the 1st District of Istanbul, in the parliamentary elections in 2011. He served in the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Turkish Delegation to NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA). He was appointed as Ak Party Vice Chair responsible of Foreign Relations. He assumed the Chair of the Turkish-Colombian Inter Parliamentary Friendship Group, and the Vice-Chair of the Turkish-German Inter Parliamentary Friendship Group.

Being elected as the Chairperson of the Committee on Foreign Affairs Committee, Çonkar also assumed the Co-Chairpersonship of the Turkish-Russian Civic Forum.

Elected to the Parliament as a Deputy of İstanbul for the 25th Legislative Term.

Being also elected to the parliament representing İstanbul for the 26th Legislative Term, Çonkar served in the Committee on European Union Harmonization and assumed the Co-Chairperson position in the Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee. Çonkar was elected as the Head of Turkish Delegation to NATO PA in July 2017 and continued to serve as the Co-Chairperson of Turkish-Russian Civic Forum.

Çonkar was again elected to the parliament representing İstanbul for the 27th Legislative Term. He served as the Deputy Chairperson of Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Deputy Head of Turkish Delegation to NATO PA and the Co-Chairperson of Turkish-Russian Civic Forum.

Ahmet Berat Çonkar is married with 3 children, he is fluent in English and has working knowledge in Spanish.