Hakan Fidan is the foreign minister in the first cabinet of President Recep Erdogan from the "Century of Türkiye" doctrine. His appointment in 2023 was remarkable because of his vast experience and correspondingly high expectations for him.
Fidan is the country's first top diplomat to come from the national intelligence and security services, holding key posts in state structures since 2003, when Erdogan became Türkiye's prime minister.
He is designated as the president's "eyes and ears", most trusted ally and right-hand man. Erdogan himself once said that Fidan is his "black box".
The basis of the foreign policy vision followed by the two is the strengthening of the so-called "strategic autonomy" of Türkiye - an aspiration aligned with the goal of the grand strategy known as the "Türkiye Axis". This ambition is aimed at making the country a global player within the developing international system. In essence, it seeks to turn Ankara into a powerful player in the spheres of economy, defence and diplomacy.
Hakan Fidan has had an illustrious career - from non-commissioned officer to academic, from bureaucratic positions to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and today - the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but he has long been part of the mechanisms of foreign policy and national security. In his first public speech as Minister of Foreign Affairs, he emphasized that he "will pursue a national and independent foreign policy".
On January 29, Fidan started his Balkan tour - Albania, Bulgaria and Romania. In Sofia, he will hold talks with Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Maria Gabriel, regarding bilateral relations, which are becoming more and more crucial in view of the current situation in the region - the security crisis in the Black Sea and the situation in the Western Balkans.
Bulgaria, Türkiye and Romania signed a key agreement on demining the Black Sea on January 11 in Istanbul. Trilateral cooperation is particularly important in view of the situation of enormous international tension and uncertainty, while the Black Sea itself is a theater of hostilities.
In 2003, Hakan Fidan first headed TIKA, the main government institution that provides humanitarian and development aid to countries and communities in need around the world. Since 2007, he gradually began to occupy positions of adviser related to foreign policy and international security. He served as a long-time special representative of then-Prime Minister Erdogan and the Turkish delegation to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). That is why Fidan is gaining experience in managing various international crises and problem areas, while also specializing in counter-terrorism issues.
Fidan, whose father is ethnically Kurdish, participated in the now-discontinued peace talks with senior leaders of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in 2009, along with his MIT predecessor Emre Taner.
His career development peaked in 2010 when, at the age of 42, he was appointed head of Türkiye's National Intelligence Organization (MIT), the youngest person to hold the post in the institution's history for 13 years.
His academic path is also quite bright and impressive. Fidan graduated from the combat school and the language school of the ground forces. He received his BA in Political and Administrative Science from the University of Maryland, University College, USA. Fidan then received a master's degree from Bilkent University in Ankara with a thesis on "The Role of Intelligence in Foreign Policy" and a PhD with a thesis on "Diplomacy in the Information Age...".
His path of preparation for the position of foreign minister passed through training at the IAEA in Vienna and at the United Nations, Geneva. With this experience, Hakan Fidan becomes an invaluable cadre for President Erdogan and a clear choice for his future appointment in the Foreign Ministry.
Fidan stressed that Türkiye should get rid of dependence on other countries' intelligence and strengthen its services for a stronger and more effective foreign policy. The MIT under his leadership is increasing its activities in the fight against terrorism in Syria and Iraq, as well as at home, and ultimately increasing its effectiveness on the international stage.
According to analysts, Fidan and his decisions in the MIT brands play a decisive role in the normalization of Türkiye's relations with regional partners in the Middle East. He has made a significant contribution, especially in the dialogue with Syria.
Taking into account Hakan Fidan's path in the Turkish state structures, it is clear that he is already a very experienced diplomat well before 2023. During his new position as the country's foreign minister, Fidan is dealing with issues that are familiar to him behind the curtains of the political scene. Therefore, Fidan has been identified as the most suitable figure to determine the path of Türkiye's soft power.
Fidan seeks to consolidate the current orientation of Turkish foreign policy and to "concrete" Türkiye's international status as the first regional power that has an aspiration for ever greater influence in the world. Ankara, as a NATO member, also remains the main mediator between the West and Russia.
Today, the country faces instability in the Middle East and extremely strained relations with Israel after the start of the war with Hamas. Ankara is building relations with Iran, but at the same time remains an indispensable ally of the US within NATO.
On January 1 of this year, Fidan outlined his strategy: "In this period when the international system is linked to uncertainty and global instability is threatened, our independent, Türkiye-centric foreign policy, pursued under the leadership of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has made our country a significant factor shaping the international agenda and exerting influence in critical regions."
According to Turkish analyst Muhittin Ataman, Fidan wants to consolidate "Ankara-centric foreign policy orientation". Hakan Fidan is a new type of diplomat in the times of Türkiye's new role in international relations. /BGNES
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This article was written by the International News Department of the BGNES News Agency.
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