Turkey is considering nominating former foreign minister for top United Nations job
The move would add a former Turkish foreign minister and current OSCE chief to a crowded race for the next U.N. secretary-general.
- Turkish officials are exploring the nomination of Feridun Sinirlioglu, a 70-year-old former foreign minister, for United Nations secretary-general after he floated his candidacy during the General Assembly's high-level meeting in New York last week.
- Sinirlioglu currently serves as secretary-general of the Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, though his three-year mandate ends in December 2027 while the United Nations position would require a Jan. 1, 2027, start date.
- A nomination would likely face obstacles from Greece, one of the 10 elected Security Council members, and Israel, whose ambassador Danny Danon recently criticized Turkey's military presence in Syria during a Security Council meeting.
- Selection rests with the 15-nation Security Council, particularly its five veto-wielding members—the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, and France—while the 193-member General Assembly must provide final approval.
- An OSCE spokesperson stated Friday that the organization would not comment given Sinirlioglu hasn't been formally nominated, while President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office and the Turkish foreign ministry declined to respond to requests for comment.
28 Articles
28 Articles
Turkey is considering nominating former foreign minister for top Unite
In this photo provided by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, and Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Feridun Sinirlioglu shake hands on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP)
Turkiye is considering nominating former foreign minister for top United Nations job
Turkey is contemplating the nomination of former Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioglu for the role of United Nations Secretary-General. Sinirlioglu floated his candidacy during the General Assembly’s high-level meeting in New York.
Associated Press News
Turkey is considering nominating former foreign minister for top United Nations job
Turkish officials have begun to shop around the idea of a former foreign minister joining the list of candidates vying to lead the United Nations as the monthslong race for secretary-general continues with no clear victor.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan's intention to promote Feridun Sinirlioglu for the position of the next UN Secretary-General, which was revealed by "Kathimerini", has come under the microscope in Athens, at a particularly critical juncture, as Greece assumes the Presidency of the UN Security Council in October and will de facto be at the center of the processes for the succession of Antonio Guterres. Ankara's contacts with the five permanent members The i…
According to two diplomats who spoke to AP, Ankara has begun contacting potential candidates for the United Nations Secretary-General position, including former Foreign Minister and current OSCE Secretary-General Feridun Sinirlioğlu. It was reported that Sinirlioğlu raised the possibility of his candidacy during the UN General Assembly meetings in New York last week. (This article, "Turkey Prepares to Nominate Feridun Sinirlioğlu for UN Secretar…
A selection from the period of the Greek-Turkish rapprochement is returning to the fore, as Ankara explores the promotion of Feridun Sinirlioglu for the position of the next UN Secretary-General. So far, his official candidacy has not been submitted. The experienced Turkish diplomat has been at the helm of the OSCE since December 2024, a position for which he had also secured Greek support. Athens and Ankara had then jointly promoted Sinirlioglu…
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