Biography of Mark R Parris Mark R. Parris directs the "Turkey 2007" Project at the Brookings Institution, where he is a Visiting Fellow. A retired career diplomat, he served as U.S. Ambassador to Turkey from 1997 to 2000. Prior to his service in Turkey, Ambassador Parris held senior positions responsible for U.S. policy toward the Middle East and former Soviet Union. As Principal Deputy Assistant of State for Near East Affairs and then Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Near East and South Asian affairs, he oversaw U.S. efforts to contain Iraq and Iran and participated in top-level negotiations involving Israel and its Arab neighbors. As Deputy Chief of Mission in Tel Aviv he witnessed the first intifada, the first Gulf War, and the Madrid Peace Conference. As Director of Soviet Affairs during President Ronald Reagan's second term, he organized and served as note-taker for President Reagan's first four summit meetings with Mikhail Gorbachev. Earlier assignments included Moscow, Lisbon and the Azores. After retiring from the Foreign Service in 2001, Ambassador Parris worked as Senior Foreign Policy Advisor in the Washington office of Baker Donelson, a law firm. He has remained active in matters relating to Turkey, serving as Chairman of the Board of the American Friends of Turkey, as the founding Chairman of the Advisory Board of the American Turkish Council, and as Counselor to the Turkish Research Program of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy
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