"For thirteen years, Hakan Fidan remained in the shadow of his patron, always present, there when needed, in meetings, behind the scenes and in official photos, but at a safe distance. When Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan travelled abroad with his foreign minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, he was the delegation's other man, a 'prince of political darkness', both efficient and discreet," Le Monde reports in an article outlining the profile of Turkey's new foreign minister.
“This former intelligence chief was the executor of Erdoğan's key projects. Loyal among the loyalists of the Turkish president, he is considered a possible successor," notes Nicolas Bourcier, correspondent of the French newspaper.
He also described Hakan Fidan as "the black box of" the Turkish president and his possible successor.
En Turquie, Hakan Fidan, le nouveau chef de la diplomatie, prince des ténèbres de la politique https://t.co/FheusA10md
— Le Monde (@lemondefr) July 3, 2023
According to Bourcier, Fidan's appointment as head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not a surprise, as his name has long been mentioned for this position.
As head of the Milli Istihbarat Teskilati (MIT) intelligence services, Hakan Fidan handled the burning issues of the Middle East. He was the one who prepared the ground for the resumption of relations with Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
He, much more so than his immediate predecessor Cavusoglu, who led the negotiations with Libya and also Syria, with which Erdoğan is trying to reconnect through Moscow.
Highlighting his statement, during the handover ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on June 5, "I will follow the national vision of the foreign policy", the French journalist observes that he is the right person for the policy that Ankara has been defending for years, based in the concept of strategic autonomy, aiming to determine, independently, without external influence or limitation, its own policy in the international arena.
In this regard, he cites as an example Fidan's statement in London, on June 21, at the international conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine, that "Turkey was determined to guarantee the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Crimea, of the ancient homeland of the Tatar Turks."
The French journalist also mentions the "thank you Tony" he said, during a meeting in the British capital with the American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, whom he has met several times in the past.
He also notes the clear message he sent to Sweden, when a copy of the Qur'an was burned in Stockholm, simply saying, "Tolerating such heinous acts means complicity," which, according to the journalist, is also a way of flattering the Islamic-nationalist electorate. foundation of Erdoğan's power.
Then, extensive reference is made to the studies and career of Hakan Fidan, the role of the president's mediator in the secret negotiations with the Kurdish PKK rebels, as well as his strange, according to the journalist, attitude during the failed coup in 2016.
The new foreign minister is only the second in the hundred years of the Turkish Republic with a military background, and he is the first to come from the world of secret services.
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