Turkey Nominates Former Ambassador to Israel Sinirlioğlu for UN Secretary-General

Turkey has formally nominated Feridun Sinirlioğlu, its former ambassador to Israel and the current secretary general of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, to become the next United Nations secretary general. The nomination was submitted on Friday, October 30, for the term beginning January 1, 2027. Sinirlioğlu served as Turkey’s ambassador to Israel from 2002 to 2007. Turkey’s permanent representative to the UN, Ahmet Yıldız, transmitted President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s nomination letter to the presidents of the General Assembly and Security Council. The presidential letter, addressed to October council president Aglaia Balta of Greece, presents Sinirlioğlu’s more than 40 years of diplomatic experience as a qualification for the role. Erdoğan’s letter highlights his “experience and culture of consensus” and his knowledge of the United Nations. Sinirlioğlu became OSCE secretary general in December 2024. Before that, he represented Turkey at the UN from 2016 to 2023 and served as interim foreign minister in 2015. In 2023, he was appointed to coordinate the independent assessment of Afghanistan mandated by Security Council Resolution 2679. The UN appointment requires a recommendation from the Security Council followed by a decision of the General Assembly. The incoming secretary general’s term starts the day after the current term ends on December 31, 2026. The UN’s published selection-process page gives no date for either the council’s recommendation or the assembly’s appointment decision.