Turkey's Erdogan may push for FM Fidan to take over UN Sec.-Gen. role, causing concern in Israel

Sources familiar with the matter told the Post that the have considered nominating Turkey's foreign minister more than once. Turkish officials strongly deny any such plan.

Concern is growing in Israel over the possibility that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could use his visit to New York for the UN General Assembly to promote Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan as a candidate to become the next UN secretary-general, potentially even announcing the move during his Tuesday UNGA address.

Sources familiar with the matter told The Jerusalem Post that the possibility of putting Fidan forward for the top UN post is on the table and has been considered more than once.

Turkish officials, however, strongly denied that any such move is planned.

The possibility carries particular significance as the race to succeed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres enters a crucial stage without a consensus candidate.

Guterres's second term expires on December 31, with his successor due to take office on January 1. Under the UN Charter, the secretary-general is appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.

Erdogan arrived in New York on Sunday for the UNGA and has already begun a series of diplomatic meetings. Fidan is also in New York and has been holding meetings with foreign counterparts on the sidelines of the UNGA.

The timing is particularly sensitive because the succession race remains unsettled.

In the third secret straw poll held by the Security Council on Friday, Costa Rica's Rebeca Grynspan emerged as the narrow front-runner, receiving nine "encourage" votes, five "discourage" votes and one "no opinion."

Guyana's UN Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett followed with eight votes encouraging her candidacy, six discouraging it and one expressing no opinion.

At this stage, the ballots do not distinguish publicly between votes cast by the Security Council's five permanent members and those cast by its 10 elected members, meaning it is not yet known whether any of the leading candidates face opposition from a veto-wielding power.

The field became even more fluid over the weekend when former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet withdrew her candidacy following a weak showing in the latest poll.

New candidates can still enter the race, leaving open the possibility that Security Council members could ultimately coalesce around a late entrant if the current field fails to produce a consensus.

Fidan is Erdogan's longtime confidant

Fidan, 58, has for years been regarded as one of Erdogan's most trusted figures in Turkey's foreign policy and national security establishment.

Before becoming foreign minister in 2023, he spent 13 years as head of Turkey's National Intelligence Organization, known as the MIT. He previously held several senior government positions, including serving as a special representative to the prime minister and president and as a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors.

The concern in Jerusalem comes against the backdrop of Fidan's sharply critical stance toward Israel since the October 7 massacre and the Israel-Hamas War.

Fidan has repeatedly accused Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza and has described what he calls "Israeli expansionism" as a threat extending beyond the region. In April, he argued that such policies had become a global security concern and said the international community needed to act to stop them.

He has also maintained direct contacts with senior Hamas officials as part of Turkey's involvement in Gaza ceasefire diplomacy.

Fidan met members of Hamas's political leadership in Ankara in December for talks on implementation of the Gaza ceasefire, and Turkish officials have repeatedly argued that Hamas has shown willingness to advance ceasefire arrangements while accusing Israel of failing to fulfill parts of previous agreements.

Relations between Israel and Turkey have deteriorated dramatically in recent years. Ankara halted direct bilateral trade with Israel in May 2024, while Erdogan and Fidan have made the Gaza war a central focus of Turkish foreign policy and international diplomacy.

Race to become next UN secretary-general remains unresolved

The formal process to select the next UN secretary-general began in November 2025, when UN member states were invited to submit nominations.

Candidates are formally nominated by member states before being considered by the 15-member Security Council. Council members have been conducting confidential straw polls in which they mark candidates as "encourage," "discourage," or "no opinion."

Ultimately, a successful candidate needs at least nine votes in the Security Council and must avoid a veto from any of its five permanent members, the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France. The Security Council then recommends one candidate to the General Assembly for formal appointment.

There is a strong, though non-binding, expectation within the UN that the next secretary-general should come from the Latin American and Caribbean regional group, which has not held the post for decades. There has also been a significant push for the UN to appoint a woman as secretary-general for the first time in its history.

Neither convention is legally binding, however, and the eventual choice will depend above all on whether a candidate can secure agreement among the Security Council's major powers.

If Turkey does decide to nominate Fidan, he would therefore enter the contest relatively late and outside the regional expectation surrounding this year's race.

But he would also enter at a moment when three rounds of Security Council straw polls have yet to produce a candidate capable of commanding clear consensus, leaving the door open for the race to take an unexpected turn.