UN chief appoints Türkiye's Feridun Sinirlioglu as special coordinator on Afghanistan

By Betul Yuruk

UNITED NATIONS (AA) - The UN chief appointed former Turkish ambassador Feridun Sinirlioglu on Tuesday as his special coordinator to provide an independent assessment of how to deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The Security Council asked Antonio Guterres in March 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.

"Sinirlioglu brings over four decades of experience in international affairs and diplomacy," the UN said in a statement. "Throughout his career, he has held portfolios spanning political, humanitarian, development, and human rights issues, has led mediation efforts and has expertise in extensive geographical areas such as the Middle East and North Africa, Europe, North America and Asia, including Afghanistan."

Sinirlioglu previously served as Türkiye's foreign minister in the interim government of 2015 and as Ankara's UN envoy from 2016 - 2023.