07.03.2026 00:40
Fahrettin Altun, the President of the Turkish Human Rights and Equality Institution, has been given a new assignment. Altun has been appointed as the Ambassador to the Vatican with a presidential decision published in the Official Gazette. Additionally, Mustafa Kibaroğlu has been appointed as the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Turkey to the UN Office in Vienna, Mustafa Türker Arı as the Ambassador to Georgia, and Barış Ceyhun Erciyes as the Ambassador to Albania.
Fahrettin Altun, President of the Turkish Human Rights and Equality Institution, has been appointed as the Ambassador to the Vatican.
FAHRETTİN ALTUN HAS BECOME THE AMBASSADOR TO THE VATICAN Fahrettin Altun, who has been the president of the Turkish Human Rights and Equality Institution (TİHEK) since July 2025, has been given a new assignment. Altun has become the Ambassador to the Vatican with the presidential decision published in the Official Gazette.
Fahrettin Altun STATEMENT FROM ALTUN In a statement made on his social media account, Altun said: "I have been appointed as the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to the Vatican with the preferences of our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan."
I will work with determination and resolve to fulfill this honorable duty entrusted to me in a manner befitting our state's deep-rooted diplomatic tradition; with the responsibility to represent our country's reputation, values, and rightful claims in the best possible way.
I express my gratitude to our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, for entrusting me with this duty, and to our Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Hakan Fidan, for his appreciation."
THREE MORE AMBASSADOR APPOINTMENTS The appointments did not stop there. With the decision of President Erdoğan, Mustafa Kibaroğlu has become the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Turkey to the UN Office in Vienna, Mustafa Türker Arı has become the Ambassador to Georgia, and Barış Ceyhun Erciyes has become the Ambassador to Albania.
WHO IS FAHRETTİN ALTUN? Fahrettin Altun, a professor of communication sciences, completed his doctoral education at Istanbul University. Having conducted academic studies in the USA for a period, Altun has held positions as a faculty member, department head, and dean at Istanbul Şehir University, Istanbul Medeniyet University, and Ibn Khaldun University. In addition, he served as the General Coordinator of SETA Istanbul.
He has written columns and served as an editor for many printed media outlets and publishing houses, including Sabah, Akşam, Daily Sabah, Kriter, Anlayış, Yöneliş, and Küre. He prepared news and discussion programs for national television channels, primarily TRT 1, TRT 2, and TRT News, and has been a guest on numerous programs.
Altun, who has research in the fields of Turkish modernization, political communication, and cultural studies, has authored books titled Modernization Theory (2002) and Turkey as a Stabilizing Power in an Age of Turmoil (2021). In addition, he has contributed as a chapter author and editor to books such as Press Freedom in Turkey (2016), The Triumph of Turkish Democracy (2016), Media on July 15 (2017), The Roots of Terror and Counter-Terrorism Strategy (2018), and A New Era in Inter-Societal Communication: From Information Warfare to Disinformation Warfare (2023).
Since July 25, 2018, Fahrettin Altun has served as the President of the Communications Directorate of the Presidency, and on July 10, 2025, he was appointed as the President of the Turkish Human Rights and Equality Institution by President Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Altun has become the Ambassador to Vienna with the decision published in the Official Gazette.