Mehmet Mehdi Eker

Politician and statesman. He was born in Diyarbakır, Bismil in January 1, 1956. He is the son of Abdullah Bey and Fehime Hanım, brother of writer and translator Hamit Eker. He graduated from Bismil-Tepe Primary School (1968), Ali Emiri Secondary School (1973), Ziya Gökalp High School (1976) and Ankara University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (1982). He completed his master degree in Aberdeen University (England) in 1992 with his thesis “Use of information in the economics control of bovine Mastitis”. In 1997, he completed his Ph.D. Education in Ankara University with the thesis “Marmara ve Trakya Bölgesi Bazı Tarım İşletmelerinde Sığır Mastitisinin Ekonomik Maliyet Tahmini ve Mücadelede Enformasyon Sisteminin Uygulanması”.

After he completed his higher education, Mehdi Eker has worked in different departments of Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock; here he worked as Head of APK Council, Veterinary, Specialist (1982-1989), Vice President of Ankara-Lalahan Husbandry Centre Research Institute, Vice General Manager (1996), Higher Board of Commissioners General Secretary (1997), General Manager of Protect and Control (1997) and Ministry Advisor (1998-2002).

During the November 3, 2002 elections, he was elected as 22^nd   Period Diyarbakır Congressman from AK Party list and get in to the parliament. He continued to his duty during the 23^rd and 24^th Periods as Diyarbakir’s congressman. During the 22^nd Period he worked as Turkish Group Member of Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly and The Parliamentary Assembly of the Western European Union. During the 59^th and 60^th Government he was the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. During the 61^st   Government he was assigned as the Minister of Food, Agriculture and Husbandry.

Eker worked as TGNA, Head of Turkey-Pakistan Inter-Parliaments Fellowship Group (May-2003), as Member of AK Party Central Decision and Administration council (1 October 2003- ), as Turkish Group Member of Western European Union Inter-Parliaments European Security and Defense Assembly (October 2004-2005), Agriculture Forest and Rural Affairs Commission Member (Head of Sub Commission), European Council Parliamentary Assembly Turkish Group Member (October 2004-2005) and he still continues to work as Minister of Agriculture and Husbandry since 2005. Eker knows English, married and has three kids.