Tekin Arıburun

Mehmet Tekin Arıburun (3 October 1903 – 13 August 1993^[1]) was a Turkish military officer and statesman. He was born in Ishtib, Kosovo Vilayet, Ottoman Empire (today Štip, part of North Macedonia). He was the last acting president to be born outside the territory of present-day Turkey.^[2]

His father is Hüseyin Avni who was the commander of 57th Regiment in Gallipoli Campaign in 1915 during World War I. Hüseyin Avni Bey died in action in Arıburnu. After the 1935 Surname Law, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk requested that he should take Arıburun as his surname to honour his late father.

He graduated from the Turkish Military College in 1925. He was sent to United Kingdom in 1929 to attend flying courses. In 1935, he graduated from Turkish Military Academy. He served as Commandant of the NATO Defense College from 1958 to 1959.^[3] He became an army general in 1959. He held the office of chief commander of Turkish Air Force. After 1960 Turkish coup d'état, he was forced into early retirement by the junta. He started his political life and elected as senator in 1961. He became the President of the Turkish Senate between 19 November 1970 and 14 June 1977.^[2]

He was the acting president of Turkey between 28 March 1973, and 6 April 1973, after Cevdet Sunay completed his seven-year term, until the election of Fahri Korutürk.

General Arıburun was a polyglot; he spoke English, German, French and Italian.^[4]