UN: Türkei nominiert Chef der OSZE für Nachfolge von Guterres

The Turkish government has nominated OSCE Secretary-General Feridun Sinirlioglu as a potential successor to outgoing UN Secretary-General António Guterres. This came after the UN Security Council failed to reach a consensus on the personnel issue, with the Turkish Foreign Ministry citing state sources. Sinirlioglu, a seasoned diplomat who represented Turkey at the UN from 2016 to 2023, was unanimously elected as the Secretary-General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in late 2024.

The OSCE, which includes Russia, states from North America and Asia, advocates for stability, peace, and democracy. Guterres is set to step down by the end of the year, but the process to select his successor has been stalled. The UN Security Council's five permanent members - China, France, Russia, Britain, and the United States - have veto power and are still in the process of reaching a consensus.

If an agreement is reached, the UN General Assembly will propose the nominee to the 193 member states. While there was broad agreement earlier that the prestigious position should be held by a woman for the first time in UN history, following the Portuguese Secretary-General Guterres, Sinirlioglu does not meet this criterion. However, he has connections with powerful Turkish statesman Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has long advocated for reform of the UN system, particularly the structure of the Security Council.

Erdogan has repeatedly criticized the few members with veto power for their disproportionate influence, echoing his statement "The world is bigger than five" during his speech to the UN General Assembly in September 2026.