 After falling out with his former classmate from high school and party leader, Mesut Yılmaz, as well as with then-Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit after having accused him of not respecting, and trying to tinker with, the Constitution before the presidential elections of 2000, he resigned on May 6, 2000, both from his party and the government to become an independent in the parliament.He did not seek re-election in 2002 and returned to diplomatic service when was appointed the Turkish ambassador to Germany by the government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on October 16, 2003.He is currently serving at the Foreign Ministry.