Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey
Born on February 26, 1954 in Istanbul.
1973: graduated from a religious high school (İmam Hatib school) and enrolled at Marmara University's Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences in Istanbul.
After graduation, Mr Erdogan worked as a consultant and manager in the private sector.
Mr Erdogan entered politics in the mid-1970s and joined the National Salvation Party (NSP) headed by Necmettin Erbakan, the ideologue of Turkish political Islam. Mr Erdogan headed the party's regional youth organisation.
1984: became leader of a district chapter of the Prosperity Party, the reformed National Salvation Party, subsequently heading its Istanbul chapter in 1985. Mr Erdogan was later elected to the party's Central Committee.
1994: ran for Mayor of Istanbul on the Prosperity Party ticket during municipal elections. After becoming Mayor, Mr Erdogan rose to nationwide political level, asserting himself as a charismatic leader. He served as Mayor of Istanbul from 1994 till 1998.
In 1998, while still Mayor, Erdogan was sentenced to four months in prison under Article 312 of the Turkish Criminal Code for reading verses that allegedly incited religious strife and animosity at a meeting.
Mr Erdogan headed the reformist wing in the Islamic political movement that evolved into the Justice and Development Party in August 2001.
Due to restrictions that apply to persons convicted for political offences, Mr Erdogan was unable to take part in the November 2002 parliamentary elections, in which his party scored a victory and established a single-party Government. After Turkish legislation was amended, Mr Erdogan was elected to the Turkish Parliament in the March 2003 by-elections in Siirt Province. He subsequently became Turkish Prime Minister.
After the Justice and Development Party scored another victory in the July 22, 2007 early parliamentary elections, Mr Erdogan once again headed a single-party Government, which received a parliamentary confidence vote on September 5, 2007.
Mr Erdogan has visited the Russian Federation many times.
December 2002: visited Russia as Chairman of the Justice and Development Party.
January and July 2005: paid working visits to Russia.
May 2005: attended celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War.
August 2008: paid a working visit to Russia in connection with Georgia's aggression against South Ossetia.
In his youth, Mr Erdogan played semi-professional football in local clubs in Istanbul.
Mr Erdogan is married, with four children.
He is fluent in English and Arabic.
