 However, he left his diplomatic career to get into politics, and was elected as head of list from the Motherland Party ( - ANAP) from the third circonscription of Istanbul (covering all of the Asian side of the city) on April 18, 1999.He served as the Minister of State for European Union affairs and Human Rights issues between May 27, 1999 and May 6, 2000 while serving as the government spokesman during the same period.During his tenure as member of parliament, he served in the parliament's Foreign Relations Committee and in the Turkish delegation to the European Council's Assembly of Members of Parliament.