UN Chief Appoints Turkey’s Feridun Sinirlioglu As Special Coordinator on Afghanistan

The UN chief appointed former Turkish Ambassador Feridun Sinirlioglu as his special coordinator on Tuesday to provide an independent assessment of how to deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan.

In March, the Security Council asked Antonio Guterres to conduct and provide forward-looking recommendations for an integrated and coherent approach among relevant political, humanitarian, and development actors to address the current challenges facing Afghanistan.

“The Secretary-General has asked Mr Sinirlioğlu to lead the independent assessment to provide recommendations for an integrated and coherent approach to address the current challenges Afghanistan faces,” the statement said.

“Sinirlioglu brings over four decades of experience in international affairs and diplomacy,” the UN said in a statement.

He was the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Turkey in the interim government of 2015 and served as the Permanent Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey (2015-2016 and 2009-2015). Most recently, the statement said he was the Permanent Representative of Turkey to the United Nations (2016 to 2023).

Simultaneously, the Foreign Ministry of Turkey welcomed Sinirliolu’s appointment, stating that Turkey values international cooperation in resolving the problems in Afghanistan.

“Türkiye, which has historical and cultural ties with Afghanistan, will continue to support the work on Afghanistan within the scope of the UN, and there is no doubt that special coordinator Ambassador Sinirlioglu will make a significant contribution to these efforts,” the ministry said in a statement.

The post UN Chief Appoints Turkey’s Feridun Sinirlioglu As Special Coordinator on Afghanistan appeared first on Khaama Press.