Author Archives: Ali Tuygan

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About Ali Tuygan

Ali Tuygan is a graduate of the Faculty of Political Sciences of Ankara University. He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in January 1967. Between various positions in Ankara, he served at the Turkish Embassy in Brussels, NATO International Staff, Turkish Embassies in Washington and Baghdad, and the Turkish Delegation to NATO. From 1986 to 1989 he was the Principal Private Secretary to the President of the Republic. He then served as ambassador to Ottawa, Riyadh, and Athens. In 1997 he was honored with a decoration by the Italian President. Between these assignments abroad he served twice as Deputy Undersecretary for Political Affairs. In 2004 he was appointed Undersecretary where he remained until the end of 2006 before going to his last foreign assignment as Ambassador to UNESCO. He retired in 2009. In April 2013 he published a book entitled “Gönüllü Diplomat, Dışişlerinde Kırk Yıl” (“Diplomat by Choice, Forty Years in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs”) in which he elaborated on the diplomatic profession and the main issues on the global agenda. He has published articles in Turkish periodicals and newspapers.

Europe-China Relations and the Macron Visit

April 10, 2023 On November 4, 2022, Chancellor Scholz paid an eleven-hour visit to Beijing with a group of top German business executives.  He was the first Western leader visit to China since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, and … Continue reading

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The Longest-serving …

April 3, 2023 Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, and Tony Blair served as Prime Ministers for approximately 9, 12, and 10 years respectively. Are they on top of the list of longest-serving British leaders? No. Sir Robert Walpole, the Chancellor of … Continue reading

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President Xi Jinping’s Visit to Russia

March 27, 2023 On June 14, 2021, Mr. Biden arrived in Brussels on his first trip to Europe as President. The Brussels Summit Communiqué issued by the NATO Heads of State and Government on that day broke new ground by … Continue reading

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The Invasion of Iraq in Retrospect

March 20, 2023 Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.  Six weeks into the invasion, on May 1, President Bush declared “mission accomplished”. Two decades later few would agree with him. The following is a key paragraph … Continue reading

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The Global South Plus

March 13, 2023 On February 23, 2023, the UN General Assembly through its Resolution A/ES-11/L.7, once again called for ending the war in Ukraine and demanded Russia’s immediate withdrawal from the country in line with the UN Charter. The voting … Continue reading

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Türkiye’s Zeitenwende

March 7, 2023 On February 6, 2023, two major earthquakes struck southern and central Turkey and northern and western Syria. The international media correctly referred to them as the “Turkey-Syria earthquakes”. But for those familiar with the downturn relations between … Continue reading

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Presidents Biden and Putin in Single Combat

February 27, 2023 Last Monday in an article titled, “Biden’s Surreal and Secretive Journey into a War Zone”by Peter Baker and Michael D. Shear, the New York Times shared some details of President Biden’s visit to Ukraine with the reader.[i] … Continue reading

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Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: One Year On

February 20, 2023 Two years ago, on February 19, 2021, at the 2021 Virtual Munich Security Conference, President Biden addressed the global community for the first time. He defined the partnership between Europe and the US as the cornerstone of … Continue reading

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From Ping-pong Diplomacy to Balloon Crisis

February 13, 2023 Already, there is a lot to be said about the Turkey-Syria earthquake. There will be much more in the weeks and months ahead. Neither the dust will set settle, nor the grief, and anger will go away … Continue reading

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A Call for Peace in Syria

January 7, 2023 In 2009, the communique issued at the end of the Damascus meeting of the “Turkish-Syrian High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council” referred to a “strategic partnership”, at the time a fashionable label for Türkiye’s external relationships. It mentioned common … Continue reading

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