Feridun Sinirlioğlu

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Feridun Hadi Sinirlioğlu
Feridun Sinirlioğlu.jpg
44th Minister of Foreign Affairs
Assumed office
28 August 2015
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu
Preceded by Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu
Undersecretary to the Foreign Ministry
Assumed office
21 August 2009
Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu
Preceded by Ertuğrul Apakan
Personal details
Born (1956-01-30) January 30, 1956 (age 59)
Görele, Giresun Province, Turkey
Nationality  Turkey
Political party Independent
Spouse(s) Ayşe Sinirlioğlu
Alma mater Ankara University
Occupation Diplomat, civil servant
Cabinet 63rd
Disisleri-bakanligi-logo.png
This article is part of a series about the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey

Feridun Hadi Sinirlioğlu (born January 30, 1956) is a Turkish diplomat and civil servant who currently serves as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey in the interim election government formed by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu on 28 August 2015. He has also served as the Undersecretary to the Foreign Ministry since 2009.

Early life and career[edit]

Feridun Hadi Sinirlioğlu was born in 1956 in Görele, Giresun Province and graduated from Ankara University Department of International Relations in the Faculty of Political Science. He received his masters degree and doctorate from Boğaziçi University Department of International Relations and Political Sciences in the Faculty of Administrative Sciences. He is a fluent speaker in German and English.[1]

Diplomatic and bureaucratic career[edit]

Foreign roles[edit]

In 1985, Sinirlioğlu became the second secretary for the Turkish Embassy in The Hague, later becoming the chief secretary. In 1988, he became the chief secretary to the Turkish Embassy in Beirut and later became the chief secretary in the Turkish offices in Greece in 1990. In 1992, he became the Undersecretary to the Permanent Representation of Turkey to the United Nations. Between 1 July 2002 and 15 January 2007, he served as the Ambassador to Tel Aviv.[2]

Civil service[edit]

In 1990, Sinirlioğlu served as the chief secretary to the Deputy Undersecretary to the Directorate of Bilateral Political Affairs. In 1991, he became the advisor to the Undersecretary and later to Prime Minister Süleyman Demirel in 1992. Between 2 September 1996 and 15 September 2000, he served as the chief advisor to the President of Turkey. He became the Director responsible for Middle East and North African affairs between 15 September 2000 and 1 July 2002. Between 24 January 2007 and 21 August 2009, he became the Deputy Undersecretary to the Directorate of Bilateral Political Affairs. on 21 August 2009, he became the Undersecretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[3]

Syria tape recording scandal[edit]

On 28 March 2014, two days before local elections took place, a tape recording of a meeting between the then-Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, National Intelligence Organisation Undersecretary Hakan Fidan, the Deputy Chief of General Staff Yaşar Güler and Feridun Sinirlioğlu was released on social media. The four individuals could be heard discussing possible ways of starting a war with Syria, causing uproar against the governing Justice and Development Party by opposition politicians.[4]

Minister of Foreign Affairs[edit]

Sinirlioğlu visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry in September 2015

After the June 2015 general election resulted in a hung parliament, unsuccessful coalition negotiations raised speculation over whether President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan would call an early election in the event that AKP leader Ahmet Davutoğlu was unable to form a government within the given constitutional time of 45 days. As required by the 114th article of the Constitution of Turkey, the calling of a snap general election by the President necessitates the forming of an interim election government, in which all parties represented in Parliament are given a certain number of ministers according how many MPs they have. If a party refused to send ministers to the interim cabinet, then independents must take their place.

Erdoğan called a new general election for November 2015 in late August, with Davutoğlu being tasked with the formation of the interim government. With the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) refusing to send ministers to the cabinet, the 8 ministries that the two parties were entitled to were vacated for independents. As a result, Sinirlioğlu was appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs as an independent politician.[5]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Political offices
Preceded by
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Agu 28, 2015 – present
Incumbent