Turkish President Erdogan receives OSCE secretary general, first-ever Turkish national to hold the post

By Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday received Feridun Sinirlioglu, a former senior Turkish diplomat and newly elected secretary general of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Details of the meeting, which took place at the presidential complex in the capital Ankara, were not disclosed.

Earlier in the day, National Defense Minister Yasar Guler also met Sinirlioglu, extending his best wishes in his new role.

Sinirlioglu, a former Turkish foreign minister, was elected OSCE secretary general last Thursday, the first Turkish citizen ever to hold the position.

His election was unanimously approved by the OSCE’s 57 member states spanning North America, Europe, and Asia.

He will serve a three-year term at the helm of the organization, which was established in 1975 during the Cold War to foster dialogue and ease tensions between the Eastern and Western blocs.