Mr. Tuncay BABALI graduated from International Relations Department of Marmara University, Istanbul, in 1994. He obtained his MA degree at SOAS (Turkish Foreign Policy towards the Caucasus 1991-1995), London in 1995 and joined the MFA service of Turkey that year. Between 1998-2003, he worked as the Third Secretary of the Turkish Embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria and as Vice Consul at the Turkish Consulate in Houston, Texas. While in Houston he completed his PhD on Caspian Energy issues at the University of Houston (2003). On his return to Turkey (September 2003), he became Deputy Chief of Cabinet to the President of the Republic of Turkey and served in that position until he was appointed as the Counsellor of the Turkish Embassy in London and assumed his new post as of 15 August 2006.

He writes and researches extensively on energy security issues in Eurasia and the Middle East. He participated in various conferences and roundtable meetings on the subject. His most recent article is “Security Concerns in the Middle East for Oil Supply: Problems and Solutions,” Energy Policy, June 19, 2006. He is the author of the book: Caspian Energy Diplomacy: Since the End of the Cold War (Ankara: Bilkent Foreign Policy Institute-FPI, 2006).