Ahmet Özay

About Ahmet Özay

Journalist | Publisher | Media Expert | Member of the Crimean Tatar National Assembly

Ahmet Özay (born November 1, 1961, in Üsküdar, Istanbul) is a German-Turkish journalist, publisher, and media expert. After graduating in Social Anthropology from Istanbul Üniversitesi, he completed his doctorate at the Institute of Ethnology at the University of Cologne. He also received radio training at Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) in Cologne.

His journalistic career, which began in the early 1990s, led him to executive positions and as a correspondent for numerous international media organizations. Özay worked as a Europe correspondent and editor-in-chief at Sabah, ATV, Show TV, Sky Türk, TRT Türk, and the Kırım Haber Ajansı in Kiev, where he most recently served as general director. He has also worked for renowned broadcasters such as BBC World, Deutsche Welle, WDR, and Netherlands World Service.

Today, Ahmet Özay is active as a publisher and media commentator, writes regularly for Turkish and European media, and provides expert commentary in television programs on political and social issues. His expertise includes German-Turkish relations, the Crimean Tatar diaspora, and developments in Russia, Ukraine, and Crimea.

For over twenty years, Özay has been actively involved in the Kırım Tatar Milli Meclisi and serves as a leading voice of the Crimean Turkish community as the representative of the Kırım Tatar Milli Meclisi in Germany. With his wealth of experience and intercultural understanding, he embodies a comprehensive journalistic approach that bridges political and cultural perspectives between Europe, Turkey, and the post-Soviet space.

Professional Experience

  • 2024 – Heute
    Yeni Safak — Analyst-Writer
  • 2015 – Heute
    KitapAvrupa GmbH — Geschäftsführer | Köln
  • Aug. 2019 – Apr. 2020
    Qırım Haber Ajansı (QHA) — Genel Yayın Yönetmeni | Kiew
  • 2011 – 2015
    TRT — Auslandskorrespondent | Bonn
  • 2009 – 2015
    Kitapyurdu GmbH — Geschäftsführer | Köln
  • Weitere Stationen
    BBC World, Deutsche Welle, WDR, Netherlands World Service, Sabah, ATV, Show TV, Sky Türk, TRT Türk

Education

  • 1987
    Universität zu Köln — PhD Ethnologie
  • 1978–1984
    İstanbul Üniversitesi — Magister Soziologie & Anthropologie

Volunteer Work

  • 1999 – Heute
    Kırım Tatar Milli Meclisi — Mitglied & Almanya Temsilcisi

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