Türkiye has formally nominated Feridun Sinirlioğlu, the current Secretary-General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and a former Turkish foreign minister, as its candidate to become the next United Nations secretary-general. The nomination was submitted on October 30 with the backing of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as the selection process faces a deadlock at the UN Security Council.
Sinirlioğlu is a veteran Turkish diplomat with more than four decades of experience in international relations. He briefly served as Türkiye’s foreign minister in 2015 and represented the country as its permanent representative to the United Nations from 2016 to 2023. He has headed the OSCE since December 2024.
His diplomatic background also includes serving as Türkiye’s ambassador to the Israeli occupation from 2002 to 2007, a period that makes his nomination particularly notable amid Ankara’s increasingly critical position on the genocide in Gaza. His experience in diplomatic engagement with the Israeli entity could attract attention as the international community considers candidates for the UN’s top diplomatic position.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the nomination was intended to help overcome the impasse in the selection process rather than simply add another contender to the race. Ankara had initially respected the expectation that the next secretary-general could come from Latin America or the Caribbean, but decided to put forward its own candidate after the process failed to produce consensus.
The next secretary-general will succeed António Guterres, whose second term ends on December 31, 2026. The selection process involves the 15-member Security Council, where a candidate needs at least nine votes and must avoid a veto from any of the five permanent members: the United States, China, Russia, France and the United Kingdom. The General Assembly then formally appoints the recommended candidate.
Sinirlioğlu joins a competitive field of candidates seeking to lead the United Nations at a time when the organisation faces mounting challenges, including conflicts, geopolitical divisions and criticism over its ability to respond effectively to international crises. The next secretary-general will inherit a role requiring diplomatic engagement with major powers while addressing conflicts and humanitarian emergencies across the world.
Erdoğan has repeatedly called for reforms to the UN Security Council, criticising the concentration of decision-making power among its five permanent members. Sinirlioğlu’s nomination therefore also reflects Türkiye’s broader ambition to strengthen its diplomatic influence and advance its longstanding demand for a more representative international system.
