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Melih Rauf Esenbel (March 15, 1915 – July 27, 1995) was a Turkish
diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...
and former Minister of Foreign Affairs.


Early years

Melih Rauf was born 1915 in
Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
. He was educated in law at
Istanbul University Istanbul University, also known as University of Istanbul (), is a Public university, public research university located in Istanbul, Turkey. Founded by Mehmed II on May 30, 1453, a day after Fall of Constantinople, the conquest of Constantinop ...
following his graduation from
Galatasaray High School Galatasaray High School (, ), established in Istanbul in 1481, is the oldest and Selective school, highly selective high school in Turkey. It is also the second-oldest Turkish educational institution after Istanbul University, which was establi ...
. In 1936, he entered in the service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a probationary clerk. He left the post in 1937 due to his conscription. Esenbel reentered the ministry after completing his military service in 1938, working first in the Economy Department and then in 1939 in the Commerce Department. The same year, he was appointed chancellor of the embassy in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, France. In 1940, he was promoted to the post of Third Secretary. After becoming Second Secretary in Paris, he returned home in 1943 to serve in the Protocols Department of the ministry. Esenbel worked first as Secondary Secretary, and later was promoted to Department Director. In 1945, Esenbel was appointed principal secretary to the counselor at the embassy of
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, United States, where he served also as counselor some time later. From 1952 on, his further posts were at the ministry in
Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...
, where he filled several executive positions becoming finally Secretary General of the ministry in 1957. On February 17, 1959, Esenbel, in his capacity as the secretary general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, accompanied
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Adnan Menderes (in office 1950-1960), who was on the way to
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, UK, to sign the London Agreement on the
Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
issue with British Prime Minister
Harold Macmillan Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton (10 February 1894 – 29 December 1986), was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1957 to 1963. Nickn ...
and
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
Prime Minister Constantine Karamanlis. The charter flight of the
Turkish Airlines Turkish Airlines (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Türk Hava Yolları''), or legally Türk Hava Yolları Anonim Ortaklığı, is the flag carrier of Turkey. , it operates scheduled services to 352 destinations (including cargo) in Europe, Asia, Oce ...
carrying eight crew and a delegation of 18 government officials from Ankara via Istanbul and
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, Italy, to London was diverted to
Gatwick Airport Gatwick Airport , also known as London Gatwick Airport (), is the Airports of London, secondary international airport serving London, West Sussex and Surrey. It is located near Crawley in West Sussex, south of Central London. In 2024, Gatwic ...
due to poor visibility at Heathrow. The aircraft of type
Vickers Viscount The Vickers Viscount is a retired British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs. A design requirement from the Brabazon Committee, it entered service in 1953 and was the first turboprop-powered airliner. T ...
crashed in a wood during its final approach to land in extensive fog, and caught fire. Five of the crew and nine of the passengers died in the crash while Melih Esenbel was among the survivors with light injuries only. The prime minister survived without any injury.


Career

In 1960, he served as Ambassador to Washington, D.C. from March 24 to October 28. Returned to Turkey, Esenbel became High Counselor to the Secretary General on December 1, 1960. Esenbel's next foreign position took him to
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
, Japan, where he acted as ambassador from January 1, 1963, to January 1, 1966. On January 9, 1967, he was appointed the second time to the Embassy in the USA serving at this post until November 1, 1974. Prime minister Sadi Irmak, who was tasked by
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Fahri Korutürk with forming of a
caretaker government A caretaker government, also known as a caretaker regime, is a temporary ''ad hoc'' government that performs some governmental duties and functions in a country until a regular government is elected or formed. Depending on specific practice, it co ...
, appointed Melih Esenbel as
Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...
. He served at this post from November 13, 1974, until March 30, 1975, the resignation of the cabinet due to a
vote of no confidence A motion or vote of no confidence (or the inverse, a motion or vote of confidence) is a motion and corresponding vote thereon in a deliberative assembly (usually a legislative body) as to whether an officer (typically an executive) is deemed fi ...
in the parliament. On April 1, the same year, Esenbel became for the third time Ambassador to Washington, D.C., where he acted until July 14, 1979. After completion of his duty in the USA, he returned home and was promoted to Minister-Counselor. On August 23, 1979, Melih Esenbel retired.


Personal life

Melih Esenbel died on July 27, 1995, in Istanbul. He was survived by his wife Emine and his two children. He was laid to rest at the family grave in Yahya Effendi Tekkesi graveyard.


References


Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Esenbel, Melih 1915 births Diplomats from Istanbul Galatasaray High School alumni Istanbul University Faculty of Law alumni Survivors of aviation accidents or incidents Ambassadors of Turkey to Japan Ambassadors of Turkey to the United States Ministers of foreign affairs of Turkey Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 1995 deaths 20th-century Turkish diplomats