Levent Kenez/Stockholm
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made three new deputy foreign minister appointments on Friday. Among them was Nuh Yılmaz, who was already at the ministry and serving as an advisor to Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Another was Ambassador Ayşe Berris Akıncı, the first female deputy minister. The third appointee, Burhanettin Duran, was not selected at Fidan’s request. Instead, he is one of Erdogan’s party “commissars” appointed to monitor the minister and keep the president informed as he has done in other ministries.
Duran, a fanatical supporter of Erdogan and former director general of the SETA Foundation, which has ties to Turkish intelligence, is close to the Erdogan family and a friend of İbrahim Kalın, who heads the National Intelligence Organization (MİT). The two previously worked together at SETA, an organization often criticized for its role as a revolving door for placing Islamists in key government positions and operating as a propaganda tool for the regime under the guise of a think tank. Serhat Albayrak, the brother of Berat Albayrak, a former finance minister and son-in-law of Erdogan, currently holds the position of chairman of the board at SETA. Albayrak is also de facto responsible for government-affiliated media outlets.
After being re-elected on May 28, 2023, Erdogan excluded powerful figures from his new cabinet. Among them were interior minister Süleyman Soylu and defense minister Hulusi Akar. In their place, Erdogan appointed individuals who were obedient but lacked charisma and influence. He also appointed Fidan, the head of intelligence agency MİT, to the less influential position of foreign minister. In Erdogan’s regime MİT wielded so much power and influence that speculation about who would succeed Erdogan as president often included Fidan’s name. Erdogan, known to have considered his son Bilal or his son-in-law Selçuk Bayraktar, a military drone manufacturer, as potential successors, shifted Fidan to a more passive and symbolic role, thus reducing his power. In Fidan’s place, Erdogan appointed his relative and former presidential spokesperson İbrahim Kalın.
Fidan’s decision to transfer individuals he had previously worked with at MİT to the ministry and to restructure the institution must have caught Erdogan’s attention. This is evident in the new appointments since Erdogan put Duran, a loyal supporter of the ruling party and himself, in an important position within the ministry.
Professor Duran was a columnist at the Sabah daily, owned by the Erdogan family and managed by Serhat Albayrak, typically writing opinion pieces on foreign policy and politics in a style reminiscent of party propaganda. He was recently teaching at Ankara Social Sciences University, known for employing academics close to the government. Since 2018 he has been a member of the Presidential Security and Foreign Policies Board.
In addition to writing columns that often endorsed the government’s foreign policy, Duran frequently appeared as a guest on pro-government television stations. Furthermore, he is a regular presence on Erdogan’s official trips abroad, often accompanying him on the presidential aircraft.
In 2019 Duran pointed out that Turkey’s purchase of S-400 missiles from Russia was a matter of national security while also harshly criticizing government opponents. According to Duran, the S-400 missile defense system would strengthen Turkey’s hand in the eastern Mediterranean, calling for opposition parties to support the project. However, Turkey’s acquisition of the S-400s not only led to its removal from the F-35 fighter jet program by the United States but also resulted in concessions made to the EU favoring Greece’s position in the eastern Mediterranean. The S-400 missiles purchased by Turkey are currently sitting idle, unactivated and still in their packaging.
However, a 2022 SETA report stated that the diplomatic and military balance between Greece and Turkey had deteriorated to the disadvantage of Turkey and that it would be best for Ankara to abandon the purchase of a second batch of S-400 missiles from Russia in order to strike a delicate balance in bilateral relations
One-third of high-level positions in the Turkish Foreign Ministry are held by non-diplomats, indicating a growing number of political appointments. This trend has resulted in 25 ambassadors lacking a background in diplomacy. Approximately 10 out of nearly 30 positions at the General Directorate level within the ministry are now occupied by individuals without diplomatic experience, marking a departure from traditional ministry practice.
In a decree issued by President Erdogan on February 16, controversial figures and members of the ruling party were once again appointed as ambassadors, raising questions about the criteria used for these appointments. Observers note a systematic increase in political appointments within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the Erdogan government. Moreover, aside from the debate surrounding the qualifications of the ambassadors appointed, a significant portion of them also face serious allegations of corruption and criminal activity.
Nordic Monitor previously reported on concerns surrounding appointments to the foreign ministry. One of the most notable names in the recent round of appointments is Yılmaz, a former press counselor and head of the counterintelligence section at MİT. Rumored at the time to be appointed as a deputy minister, Yılmaz was instead named head of the Center for Strategic Research (SAM) and advisor within the ministry. It appears that Fidan has finally succeeded in having him appointed as his deputy, almost a year after taking office. Yılmaz has a track record of overseeing agents and informants in traditional Turkish media outlets and online news websites, with some involved in the dissemination of conspiracy theories.
During a conference at Istanbul University on December 15, 2023, Yılmaz announced ongoing efforts aimed at reshaping the ministry’s institutional framework and human resources policies. According to Yılmaz, these initiatives signify an upcoming change in the prerequisites for aspiring diplomats. He hinted at the likelihood of future changes, suggesting that proficiency in the English language might not remain mandatory for all individuals hoping to pursue diplomatic careers.
Additionally, Ümit Ulvi Canik, formerly MİT’s legal counselor, has been appointed to the Directorate General of Legal Services at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Canik was previously embroiled in a scandal related to the interception of a truck loaded with arms and ammunition in 2014, allegedly destined for al-Qaeda groups in Syria. Canik had represented MİT in various legal cases and played a role in obstructing the search of the truck.
Hacı Ali Özel, formerly a deputy to Fidan, has been assigned as director general of personnel. His return to the ministry signals Fidan’s efforts to assemble a team aligned with his goals, as the Erdogan government removed around 30 percent of the total diplomatic staff, more than 700 employees, including veteran ambassadors, from the ministry after a controversial coup attempt in 2016, which sparked a witch hunt against dissidents within state institutions. A large number of the open positions were then occupied by loyalists, supporters and politically appointed individuals who were not career diplomats.
Gürsel Dönmez, who previously collaborated with Fidan at MİT, has been appointed Fidan’s chief advisor. Dönmez, who led the Austrian branch of the Union of International Democrats (UID) and served as an initial vice president of the Presidency of Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), is known for his involvement with diaspora communities in Europe, a recruitment strategy employed by the Turkish intelligence agency.
A critical appointment is that of Fatma Ceren Yazgan, a former ambassador to Georgia, who will lead the ministry’s Security and Research Directorate. Her past role in collaboration with MİT to profile and identify diplomats who were ousted in 2016 suggests a willingness to engage in various operations to demonstrate loyalty to Fidan and President Erdogan.
