Obituary

Prof. Dr. Hasan Z. Sarikaya (1945-2020)
Chair of the Blue Peace Middle East Managing Committee.

It was with great sadness that the members of the Blue Peace Middle East Initiative learnt of the sudden passing of Dr. Hasan Sarikaya on 23 January 2020. Prof. Sarikaya had been the chair of the Blue Peace Middle East Managing Committee since its establishment in September 2018. He had been closely involved in the Blue Peace Middle East Initiative since 2009, attending meetings in the region and beyond and joining in the initiative’s numerous study trips.

With more than 40 years of international teaching and research experience, Dr. Sarikaya was a highly esteemed member of the Turkish and regional water community and a tireless advocate of closer regional cooperation over water and environmental issues.

Over the course of his long career, he served as Turkey’s deputy minister for Environment and Forestry and acted on the board of the Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration, the Black Sea Commission and the European Environment Agency among others.