Derviş Eroğlu

Dr. Derviş Eroğlu (born 1938) is the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. He was Prime Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus from 1985 to 1994 and from 1996 to 2004, and leader of the National Unity Party. His party won the general elections in 2009 and Eroğlu became Prime Minister again. On 23 April 2010, he took the oath to become the third President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

He entered the Assembly of the Republic of Northern Cyprus of the then-Turkish Federated State of Northern Cyprus in 1976, serving as Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports during 1976–77. He served as a member of the de facto TRNC Constituent Assembly in November 1983. As the leader of the National Unity Party, he was appointed TRNC Prime Minister in four successive governments between 1985 and 1993 (He was opposition leader between 1994 and 1996), and from 1996 until his party lost the general election to the Republican Turkish Party under Mehmet Ali Talat in 2004. Eroğlu's UBP won the majority in the parliament in elections of 18 April 2009; by 44% of the general vote and Eroğlu became prime minister again after 5 years.

On 21 November 2005, Eroğlu resigned as leader of the National Unity Party, stating that "it was time for younger blood to take control". Re-elected to the chair in November 2008. Eroğlu was elected to the office of President of Northern Cyprus on 18 April 2010. Because the UN does not recognize the TRNC it treats Derviş Eroğlu as bona fide negotiator for the Turkish Cypriot community of the Republic of Cyprus.

From : www.wikipedia.org

Demetris Christofias

Demetris Christofias (also spelled Dimitris Christofias, Greek: Δημήτρης Χριστόφιας, born 29 August 1946) is a left-wing Greek Cypriot politician and the current and sixth President of the Republic of Cyprus. Christofias was the General Secretary of AKEL and is Cyprus's first, and the European Union's first and so far only, communist head of state. He won the 2008 Cypriot presidential elections in the second round of voting. Throughout the election campaign, he pledged to restart talks with Turkish Cypriots in order to find a solution to the Cyprus dispute and reunify the island. He has also supported the closure of the British military bases on Cyprus.

Biography

Christofias was born on 29 August 1946 in the village of Dhikomo, Kyrenia. Christofias became involved in leftist politics early in his youth and held several positions with the youth movement of AKEL (the Progressive Party of the Working People of Cyprus). His father, who died in 1987, was a builder, member of the Pancyprian Federation of Labour (PEO).

Christofias had his secondary-school education at Nicosia Commercial Lyceum, from where he graduated in 1964. At the age of 14, he joined the progressive secondary-school students organisation PEOM and at the age of 18 he joined EDON (AKEL's United Democratic Youth Organisation), PEO Trade Unions and AKEL. In 1969, at the 5th Congress of EDON, he was elected member of the Central Council.

Christofias studied at the Institute of Social Sciences and the Academy of Social Sciences in Moscow. In Moscow he met his wife, Elsie Chiratou, and later returned to Cyprus and political life.

Dimitris Christofias married Elsie (Chiratou) Christofias in 1972 and they have three children – two daughters, Marianna and Christina, and a son, Christos.

From : www.wikipedia.org 

Suat Günsel

Dr. Suat İrfan Günsel (born August 3, 1952 in Paphos, Cyprus) is a Turkish Cypriot entrepreneur, businessman and founder of the Near East University. In 2011, Forbes ranked him as the 2nd richest person in Cyprus and the 1,140th richest person in the world with a net worth of $1 billion.

Personal and Business life

Günsel, the Founding Rector of the Near East University, is married with three children.

Honorary doctorates

Günsel received honorary doctorates from following universities:

    * 2010 Komrat University, Moldovia

    * 2010 Azerbaijan State University, Azerbaijan

    * 2011 Izhevsk International Eastern European University of Republic of Udmurtia, Udmurt Republic

Awards and Prizes

Some awards and prizes given to Dr. Suat Günsel are as follows;

    * August 2009, awarded with the “Honorary Medal of Gagauzian Land” and honoured with the “Title of Notable Person” at the II. World Gagauzians Conference by the President of Gagauzia, His Excellency Mihail Formuzal.

    * December 2009, honoured with Golden Honour Medal by Gagauzia Autonomous Republic for his precious contributions to educational sector of Gagauzia Autonomous Republic.

    * March 2010, awarded with “Outstanding Success” by the National Assembly of TRNC for his contributions and worldwidely renowned investments made for educational systems and health sectors of TRNC.

    * October 2010, awarded for his contributions to Turkish speaking countries' culture and education with “Türksoy Golden Medal of Honour” in accordance with the decision taken at the conference of Organization of Common Directorate of International Turkish Culture and Arts by the Permanent Council of Ministers of Culture of Member Countries of TÜRKSOY (The International Organization of Turkic Culture).

    * November 2010, appointed the “Plenary Ambassador of TRNC” through the common decision of the President Dr. Derviş Eroğlu and the National Assembly of TRNC.

    * November 2010, awarded with the “Golden Honorary Plaquet” by the Centre of Islam, History, Art and Culture for his contributions to Islamic Conference Organization.

    * February 2011, honoured with a “Medal of Commemoration” for 60th anniversary of invention of Avtomat Kalashnikova 47 (AK 47), one of the most important patents of 20th century, by the legendary designer of this gun, General Mihail Kalashnikov.

    * July 2011, awarded with “Friendship Order”, the highest order of the state given to foreigners, by the President of Azerbaijan, His Excellency İlham Aliyev, for his outstanding contributions to develop the relations between TRNC and the Republic of Azerbaijan, and for his contributions to Azerbaijan Diaspora.

    * On 7th November 2011, Dr. Suat İ. Günsel was awarded with the Honorary Medal in celebrations organized to commemorate the 20th anniversary of establishment of Autonomous Gagauzian Republic.

    * On 1 December 2011, Dr. Suat İ. Günsel, the Founding Rector of NEU, conferred upon a honorary PhD in education upon the decision of Senate of Odlar Yurdu University of Azerbaijan.

From : www.wikipedia.org

John Fredriksen

John Fredriksen, (born 10 May 1944) is a Norwegian-born Cypriot oil tanker and shipping tycoon, owner of the world's largest oil tanker fleet, and was Norway's richest man until he chose to abandon his Norwegian citizenship and take up a Cypriot passport. Norwegian magazine E24 listed Fredriksen in 2011 with a net worth of NOK 59,7 billion ($10,1 billion USD). Through his investment companies Hemen Holdings and Meisha, Fredriksen controls the companies Frontline and Golar LNG from London.

He also has major interests in the offshore driller SeaDrill, the fish farming company Marine Harvest the dry bulk company Golden Ocean Group, and supply vessel company Deep Sea Supply. Fredriksen's Frontline in 2010-11 owned 9,6% of another large tanker company Overseas Shipholding Group, but divested itself of this stake during 2011.

Biography

Born on Oslo's east side, Etterstad, the son of a welder, Fredriksen began as a trainee in a shipbroking company. At the age of 27 he started working for himself. Fredriksen made his fortune during the Iran-Iraq wars in the 1980s when his tankers picked up oil at great risk and huge profits. As described by his biographer, "he was the lifeline to the Ayatollah." He is now the world's largest tanker owner, with more than seventy oil tankers, and major interests in oil rigs and fish farming. His fleet is dominated by costly double-hulled, environmentally safer tankers.

Back in December 2005 rumours circulated of Fredriksen-controlled firm Seadrill bidding for Stavanger based rig company Smedvig, and since has been in a bidding war with U.S. company Noble Corporation. But it was announced in late January 2006 that Seadrill had bought more than 50 percent of Smedvig, and therefore gained control of the company (51.24 percent of the votes and 52.27 percent of the capital). Smedvig is valued at NOK 15 billion, and is Fredriksen's biggest ever deal. Noble Corp sold its stake in Smedvig to Seadrill in April 2009. Smedvig is now fully under Seadrill's control.

On 7 June 2007 the British newspaper the Daily Mail reported that Fredriksen was interested in buying the Premiership football club Tottenham Hotspur. Prior to this Fredriksen has been majority owner of Vålerenga I.F. for many years.

Fortune

He has two children, collects classic Norwegian art, and reportedly turned down an offer of $200m (£180m) from Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich for his Chelsea home. He also owns houses in Oslo, Cyprus, and Marbella. In 2006 John Fredriksen chose to abandon his Norwegian citizenship and is now a citizen of Cyprus.

The Sunday Times Rich List 2003 (published every April) ranked Fredriksen 66th (in Britain) with a worth of £475m, in their 2004 list he ranked 30th with £1,050m, and in 2005 ranked 16th with a fortune of £1,887m. Forbes magazine estimated his net worth at $10,700m, or #72 in their rich list, as of March 2011.

James Winchester, a veteran shipping analyst at Lazard Frères has said of him, "He's a modern-day Onassis. The tanker king. He landed squarely in the sweet spot of the tanker cycle, with the largest fleet of ships." In 2001 an article on Forbes.com described him as having "a tanker fleet bigger than anything Aristotle Onassis ever had."

From : www.wikipedia.org