31.10.2026 07:52
Turkey has made the official application for the candidacy of former Foreign Minister and OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioğlu for the United Nations Secretary-General. Antonio Guterres's term ends on December 31, 2026. In the race, the UAE had also nominated Minister of State Lana Zaki Nusseibeh.
Türkiye has officially submitted the application of Ambassador Feridun Sinirlioğlu, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and current Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), for the post of United Nations (UN) Secretary-General.
GUTERRES' TERM ENDS AT THE END OF THE YEAR
The term of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres ends on 31 December 2026. The secretary-general is appointed by the 193-member UN General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council. If one of the US, Russia, China, the UK and France vetoes, the candidate is eliminated.
POSITIVE MESSAGE FROM AZERBAIJAN TO UAE CANDIDATE
In the race, the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) candidate, Minister of State Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, was officially nominated on 21 October. Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ayhan Hajizade announced on 27 October that they welcomed Nusseibeh's candidacy bid, but did not make any commitment regarding whom they would support in the vote.
OSCE'S FIRST TURKISH SECRETARY GENERAL
Sinirlioğlu has served as OSCE Secretary General since 6 December 2024. Elected at the 31st OSCE Ministerial Council held in Malta, Sinirlioğlu became the first Turkish secretary general in the organization's history.
Born in 1956 in the Görele district of Giresun, Sinirlioğlu joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1982. The diplomat had served as political adviser at the Permanent Mission to the UN in New York between 1992 and 1996.