Türkiye Nominates OSCE Chief for UN Secretary-General

Türkiye has nominated Feridun Sinirlioğlu, secretary-general of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), to become the next United Nations secretary-general, putting forward a candidate after an inconclusive Security Council straw poll. The nomination letter from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was dated October 30 and submitted to the presidents of the General Assembly and Security Council. Sinirlioğlu, a former Turkish foreign minister and former Turkish representative to the UN, has led the OSCE since December 2024. A Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the Council’s seventh informal straw poll showed no consensus on a candidate. The polls are anonymous, and the Council does not publish official results. The lack of a consensus followed a series of preliminary votes in a selection process that has not yet produced a recommendation. Sinirlioğlu’s nomination drew criticism from Cyprus. Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis called the candidacy a political oxymoron, arguing that Turkey’s actions toward Cyprus and its treatment of UN resolutions conflicted with the principles expected of a UN leader. Those statements represent the Cyprus...