# Hakan Fidan

Hakan Fidan (born on 17 July 1968) is a Turkish politician currently serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs since June 2023. He was previously the director of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) from March 2010 until June 2023.
Fidan is seen as a possible successor to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as the leader of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the President of Turkey.

## Early life and education

Fidan was born to a Kurdish father from Varto and a Turkish mother from Denizli. His father belongs to the Kurdish Hesenan tribe. The head of the Hesenan tribe in 2023 claimed that Hakan Fidan spoke Kurdish. He earned a degree in management and political science from the University of Maryland Global Campus and later completed his master's and doctorate at Bilkent University.

## Military and early career

From 1986 to 2001, he served as a non-commissioned officer in the Turkish Land Forces and was part of the NATO-unit Allied Rapid Reaction Corps in Germany. Fidan directed the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) from 2003 to 2007, focusing on development projects in Turkic and African countries. He also served as an assistant secretary in the prime ministry and as a security advisor for Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Internationally, he held board positions at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

## Intelligence career

Fidan led the National Intelligence Organization from May 2010 to February 2015, when he briefly resigned to pursue a parliamentary seat for the Justice and Development Party (AKP). After withdrawing his candidacy, he was reappointed to his intelligence position within hours.

### Foreign relations

Fidan was instrumental in formulating Turkey's regional strategy of providing active support for Syrian rebels engaged in combat against the regime of Bashar al-Assad. His tenure saw a shift from a security cooperation with Israel and the United States towards one with Iran most notably Qasem Soleimani, the leader of the Al Quds division. During the 2016 Turkish coup attempt, Fidan played a crucial role in assisting Erdogan to suppress the coup. During the Munich Security Conference in February 2017, he delivered a list of 300 alleged supporters of the Gülen Movement to Bruno Kahl, president of the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) in apparent expectation of cooperation during the political purges in Turkey following the failed coup attempt in July 2016. But the list much more lead the German authorities to warn the observed people from the Turkish intelligence service activities. In September 2022, he visited Hamis Hancer of the Sunni bloc in the Iraqi Parliament in Baghdad and also met with the Iraqi President Baram Salih.

### Controversies

Fidan was involved in secret peace talks with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) for which in 2012 a state prosecutor wanted to investigate him. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan intervened on behalf of Fidan and he was later delegated to hold talks with Abdullah Öcalan and arranged the secret black marketing of Iran through Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's government.

## Political career

On 4 June 2023, Fidan assumed office as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the 67th cabinet of Turkey under president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. On 31 August 2023, he visited Moscow and met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. They discussed the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
In September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military offensive against the self-declared breakaway state of Artsakh, a move seen as a violation of the 2020 ceasefire agreement. Fidan offered diplomatic support to Azerbaijan, stating that their military operation was "justified" and that "Azerbaijan has taken the measures it deems necessary on its own sovereign territory."
On 25 October 2023, Fidan warned that an Israeli ground invasion of the Gaza Strip could turn into a massacre, saying that those supporting Israel's actions are "accomplices to its crimes."