Turkey nominates former foreign minister Sinirlioglu for UN secretary-general
Turkey has formally put forward 70-year-old diplomat Feridun Sinirlioglu to become the next UN secretary-general. He would succeed Antonio Guterres, who has led the organisation for almost 10 years.
Turkey on Saturday officially nominated former foreign minister and longtime UN ambassador Feridun Sinirlioglu to be the next secretary-general of the United Nations, state media reported. He is seeking to succeed Antonio Guterres, who has headed the world body for almost a decade. The change of leadership comes as the UN faces pressure to reform.
The candidate
Sinirlioglu is 70. He was Turkey's foreign minister for a few months in 2015, during an interim period between elections, and served as its UN ambassador from 2016 to 2023. He currently heads the Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe as its secretary-general. His three-year mandate there runs until December 2027, while the UN post would begin on January 1.
He floated his candidacy last month on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly's high-level meeting in New York. Ahmet Yildiz, Turkey's current UN representative, told the Anadolu news agency that the name was submitted with the backing of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan has called for reform of the UN Security Council and criticised the dominance of its five permanent members. Sinirlioglu is expected to reflect the president's agenda.
How the choice is made
The decision rests with the 15-nation Security Council, especially its five veto-wielding members: the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France. The 193-member General Assembly must give final approval. Sinirlioglu is likely to meet resistance from several quarters, including Turkey's neighbour Greece, one of the council's 10 elected members. Pushback is also expected from Israel, a close US ally.
Guterres is finishing his second five-year term, and seven other candidates are competing for the job. Under an informal regional rotation, a candidate from Latin America and the Caribbean could be chosen.
The UN is under pressure to change: it has been sidelined in wars in Iran, Ukraine and Gaza, while a financial crisis has forced deep cuts to humanitarian and development programmes.
