The Azerbaijani news agency attacked Feridun Sinirlioglu, Türkiye’s candidate for the post of UN Secretary-General, accusing him of adopting condescending attitudes towards Azerbaijan and the Turkic world.
Hot Topics
The agency accused Sinirlioğlu of belonging to what it described as "arrogant" circles within the Turkish Foreign Ministry, claiming that he, along with his wife and diplomat Serdar Kılıç, worked to promote Turkish-Armenian rapprochement through lobbying and pressure tactics. This was seen as a reference to Baku's sensitivity to any developments in this matter that did not take its priorities into account. The agency also accused him of adopting what it termed "condescending" stances toward Baku. Neither the Turkish candidate nor the Turkish Foreign Ministry has yet issued an official response to these accusations.
In contrast, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry initially welcomed the UAE's nomination of its Minister of State, Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, for the post of Secretary-General, before later announcing its support for Turkey's nomination of Sinirlioğlu. This dual welcome came after reports that Abu Dhabi had asked Baku to support its candidate instead of Ankara's, while Baku emphasized that the selection of the Secretary-General should be based on professional competence, diplomatic experience, impartiality, and the ability to build consensus among member states.
This comes as the term of current Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is set to end on December 31, 2026, after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a formal letter of nomination for Sinirlioglu—the current Secretary-General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)—to the presidents of the General Assembly and the UN Security Council.
The media disputes coincide with heightened tensions between Ankara and Baku, exemplified by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's absence from the 13th summit of the Turkic States Cooperation Organization in Ankara. Azerbaijan had previously imposed entry bans on several Turkish citizens, including journalists and politicians, following Turkish criticism of the headscarf ban in its schools, which Baku considered interference in its internal affairs.