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Hakan Fidan

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Hakan Fidan
Fidan in 2023
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office
4 June 2023
PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdoğan
Preceded byMevlüt Çavuşoğlu
Director of the National Intelligence Organization
In office
9 March 2015 – 4 June 2023
PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdoğan
Prime MinisterBinali Yıldırım
Preceded byİsmail Hakkı Musa
Succeeded byİbrahim Kalın
In office
25 May 2010 – 10 February 2015
PresidentAbdullah Gül
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Prime MinisterRecep Tayyip Erdoğan
Ahmet Davutoğlu
Preceded byEmre Taner
Succeeded byİsmail Hakkı Musa
Personal details
Born1968 (age 55–56)
Ankara, Turkey
Political partyJustice and Development Party (2015)
SpouseNuran Fidan
Children3
OccupationIntelligence officer and diplomat

Hakan Fidan (born 1968) is a Turkish statesman who is the 46th 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.

Early life and education

Hakan Fidan was born in 1968 in Ankara, Turkey. He is of Kurdish descent through his father.[1] 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.[2] He was also a member of the German-based NATO-unit Allied Rapid Reaction Corps.[3]

Early career

His previous domestic tenures included directing[4][5] the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) from 2003 to 2007,[6] which is involved in development projects in Turkic and African countries[3] and being a deputy-undersecretary[5][6] in the prime minister's office from November 2007.[until when?]

He worked as a security advisor for Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.[7]

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).[citation needed]

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.[8][9] On 9 March 2015, exactly 30 days later, he withdrew his candidacy. He was appointed back to his position within hours.[10]

Foreign relations

His tenure saw a shift from a security cooperation with Israel and the United States towards one with Iran[11] most notably Qasem Soleimani, the leader of the Al Quds division.[7] During the Munich Security Conference[12] 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.[13] But the list much more lead the German authorities to warn the observed people from the Turkish intelligence service activities.[12] 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.[14]

Controversies

There are some claims that he was involved in secret peace talks with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) for which in 2012 a state prosecutor wanted to investigate him but it is not proofed at all.[15] As part of these claims Recep Tayyip Erdoğan intervened on behalf of Fidan[15] 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. However, these claims could not be proofed by anyone.[3][16]

Diplomacy career

He was named Foreign Minister in the 67th Cabinet of Turkey on 3 June 2023.[17]

References

  1. ^ Akin, Ezgi (4 June 2023). "Who is Hakan Fidan, Turkey's new foreign minister with spy powers?". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 6 June 2023. [...] Fidan, whose father is an ethnic Kurd [...]
  2. ^ "Türkiye's top intelligence chief Fidan becomes foreign minister". Daily Sabah. 3 June 2023. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "Turkey's 'secret-keeper'". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  4. ^ Today's Zaman, 19 April 2010, Hakan Fidan becomes next head of Turkish intelligence Archived 2013-10-31 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ a b "Hakan Fidan slated to be next head of Turkish intelligence". Dünya. 19 April 2010. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Hakan Fidan kimdir? Özgeçmişinde neler var? İşte engenç MİT Başkanı'nın özgeçmişi". Vatan (in Turkish). 11 February 2012. Archived from the original on 19 December 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  7. ^ a b Peters, Dominik; Popp, Maximilian; Sydow, Christoph (11 November 2018). "Jamal Khashoggi: Der Mann, der alles über Khashoggis Sterben weiß". Der Spiegel (in German). ISSN 2195-1349. Archived from the original on 11 October 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  8. ^ "Turkish spymaster Fidan quits to contest parliamentary election: sources". Reuters. 7 February 2015. Archived from the original on 2 January 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  9. ^ "Turkish intelligence chief quits post to run in general elections". France 24. 7 February 2015. Archived from the original on 11 October 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  10. ^ "Turkey's former intel chief withdraws decision to run for parliament, returns to MİT". Hürriyet Daily News. 9 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  11. ^ "Turkey revealed Israeli spy ring to Iran-report". Reuters. 17 October 2013. Archived from the original on 11 October 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  12. ^ a b Mascolo, Georg (28 March 2017). "Der Irrtum des türkischen Top-Spions". Der Bund (in German). Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  13. ^ "Bespitzelung von Gülen-Anhängern: Türkische Spionage ist ein Fall für die Justiz". Der Tagesspiegel Online (in German). ISSN 1865-2263. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  14. ^ "Second visit by Türkiye's intelligence chief in a month raises question marks in Iraq". Bianet. 7 October 2022. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  15. ^ a b Szymanski, Mike (31 March 2017). "Hakan Fidan - Erdoğans Mann für Geheimnisse". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  16. ^ "Investigation of Turkish Intelligence head won't proceed, says prosecutor - Türkiye News". Hürriyet Daily News. 22 March 2013. Archived from the original on 11 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  17. ^ "Turkish leader Erdoğan announces cabinet of new term". anews. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
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