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Erdoğan formally nominates Sinirlioğlu for UN secretary-general
Türkiye has formally nominated Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioğlu for UN secretary-general, after the latest Security Council ballot ended without consensus on any candidate.
Türkiye has formally nominated Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Secretary General and former Turkish Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioğlu for UN secretary-general, after the latest informal Security Council ballot ended on October 30 without consensus on any candidate.
Message from Erdoğan
Türkiye's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Ahmet Yıldız, delivered the nomination letter signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to the presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council, accompanied by the candidate's résumé and vision document.
In the letter, Erdoğan said Sinirlioğlu had “the experience and consensus-building culture needed to lead the United Nations,” noting his more than four decades of diplomatic experience and his appointment in 2023 to lead the independent assessment on Afghanistan established under Security Council Resolution 2679.
He added that Türkiye's decision aimed to make a constructive contribution to the selection process at a time of deepening geopolitical divisions and declining trust among states, reaffirming Ankara's commitment to mediation, humanitarian assistance and development support.
Deadlock in the race
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said the latest ballot showed that consensus on a candidate remained absent and that the process was heading toward a deadlock. Yıldız said Türkiye respected the convention that the next secretary-general should come from Latin America and the Caribbean, but none of the candidates from the region had secured the required majority.
A candidate needs at least nine votes in the 15-member Security Council without facing a veto from any of its five permanent members, after which the General Assembly appoints the secretary-general. Secretary-General António Guterres' term ends on December 31.
Former ambassador to Israel
Sinirlioğlu was born in 1956 and joined the Turkish Foreign Ministry in 1982. He served in Beirut and was Türkiye's ambassador to Israel from 2002 to 2007, then served as undersecretary at the Foreign Ministry, as foreign minister in 2015 and as permanent representative to the United Nations from 2016 to 2023.
The Associated Press predicted that the nomination would face objections from Greece, a non-permanent member of the Security Council, and Israel because of tensions in its relations with Türkiye.
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