Minister of Foreign Affairs (Turkey)

Last updated
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey
Dışişleri Bakanı
MfaLogoTR.svg
Emblem of Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Turkiye (Turkey) (Turkiye) Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in London, United Kingdom on June 21, 2023 - 53002140112 (cropped).jpg
Incumbent
Hakan Fidan
since 3 June 2023
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Turkey)
Style His Excellency
(diplomatic)
Member of Cabinet
National Security Council
Residence Dışişleri Konutu
Appointer President of Turkey
Term length No term limit
Inaugural holder Bekir Sami Kunduh
FormationMay 3, 1920;103 years ago (1920-05-03)
Website www.mfa.gov.tr

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey is the government minister who heads the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is a member of the Cabinet of Turkey. The minister is responsible for overseeing the international relations of the government, though specific relations involving Turkey's accession negotiations with the European Union are handled by the Directorate for EU Affairs.

Contents

The office was established in 1920 during the Turkish War of Independence, after which Bekir Sami Kunduh became the first Minister to hold the office. The incumbent officeholder is Hakan Fidan, who took office on 3 June 2023 following his appointment by president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

History of the office

Ottoman era

Before the establishment of the Turkish Republic, foreign affairs were handled by the 'Reis-ül Küttap' (Head Secretary) of the Ottoman Empire until the 19th century. In 1836, the Head Secretariat was upgraded to a Ministry and became the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Ottoman Empire, with the last Reis-ül Küttap, Yozgatlı Akif Efendi, becoming the first minister responsible.

Republic era

With the establishment of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey during the War of Independence, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey was established on 3 May 1920 with Bekir Sami Kunduh becoming the first minister responsible, with the legislative Act No. 1154 in 1927 laying down the legal functions of the Foreign Ministry. The Turkish diplomatic service was significantly expanded after the Second World War despite ASALA terrorist attacks against Turkish diplomats occurring in the 1970s. [1]

List of Ministers of Foreign Affairs

Since the office was established in 1920, there have been 44 Ministers of Foreign Affairs. Before the introduction of the presidential system, ministers were appointed by the Prime Minister of Turkey as part of his or her cabinet, after which the President of Turkey validated the appointment of the minister. The minister was usually a Member of Parliament, though Prime Ministers reserved the right to appoint ministers from outside parliament if they see fit. A notable example was the appointment of Ahmet Davutoğlu as foreign minister in 2009 despite not being an MP.

Currently, the minister is directly appointed by the president.

See also

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References

  1. "From Rep. of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs". Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 19 April 2018.