Hakan Fidan

Hakan Fidan (born 17 July 1968) is a Turkish soldier, academician, bureaucrat, diplomat and current Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey. A member of the AK Party, he previously served as the director of the National Intelligence Organization from 2010 to 2023. As of 4 June 2023 he is serving as the 42nd Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey. He is seen as possible successor as leader of Ak Party and president Erdogan.
Early life and education
Hakan Fidan was born on 17 July 1968 in Ankara, Turkey. He is of Kurdish descent through his father. He obtained a degree in management and political science from the University of Maryland Global Campus. Afterwards, he obtained his master's and doctorate degree from Bilkent University.
He worked as a non-commissioned officer in the Turkish Army from 1986 to 2001. He was also a member of the German-based NATO-unit Allied Rapid Reaction Corps.
Early career
His previous domestic tenures included directing the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) from 2003 to 2007, which is involved in development projects in Turkic and African countries and being a deputy-undersecretary in the prime minister's office from November 2007.
He worked as a security advisor for Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Internationally, Fidan held board positions at two specialized agencies of the United Nations; the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
Intelligence career
Fidan directed the National Intelligence Organization from 25 May 2010 until 7 February 2015 when he resigned from his position to run for office as a member of parliament, aiming to represent AK Party. On 9 March 2015, exactly 30 days later, he withdrew his candidacy. He was appointed back to his position within hours.
Foreign relations
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 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
He 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.
Diplomacy career
On 4 June 2023 he assumed office as the 42nd Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey 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."
References
External links
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1968 births
Living people
Politicians from Ankara
People of the National Intelligence Organization (Turkey)
Directors of intelligence agencies
Turkish non-commissioned personnel
University of Maryland Global Campus alumni
Bilkent University alumni
20th-century Turkish people
21st-century Turkish people
Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Turkey
Members of the 67th government of Turkey
Turkish people of Kurdish descent