Turkey Nominates Feridun Sinirlioglu for UN Secretary-General Position

Turkey has nominated OSCE Secretary General Fredun H. Sinirlioglu for the position of UN Secretary-General, according to the official Turkish Anadolu Agency on Saturday.

The agency quoted sources in the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying that Sinirlioglu’s nomination letter, dated Friday and signed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was submitted to the presidents of the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council.

This move comes amid a deadlock in the process of electing a new UN Secretary-General, as the Security Council’s recent advisory voting round held on Friday failed to produce a decisive outcome, according to sources cited by the agency.

Even if a candidate for the post secures the required nine votes out of 15 in the Security Council, they must also avoid facing a veto from any of the five major powers, which are deeply divided among themselves.

Once a candidate clears these hurdles, their name is forwarded to the UN General Assembly, which comprises all member states, for final approval.