Author Archives: Ali Tuygan

Unknown's avatar

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.

Obituary for Turkey’s EU Accession Process

January 7, 2017 Turkey remains in diplomatic isolation. Once, the government called this “precious loneliness”, a price Ankara was prepared to pay no matter what for its “principled foreign policy”. However, this policy of needless defiance coupled with the decline … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Iran Protests and the Middle East

January 4, 2013 The protests in Iran became a focus of international attention during the past week. In the background were the nature of the Iranian regime, its expanding regional reach which is largely a result of the 2003 US … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Jerusalem Controversy

December 25, 2017 On December 6, President Trump signed the Act which recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. A week later, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) met in Istanbul at summit level on current chair Turkey’s initiative and strongly condemned … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

2017: Another Year of Turmoil

  December 20, 2017 The following is from my summing-up of the year 2016 (*): “The Ukraine conflict has led many analysts to frequently mention President Putin’s unpredictable tactics and actions if not policies. With Mr. Trump in the White … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

President Trump’s Jerusalem Embassy Act

December 7, 2017 President Trump has finally signed the Act which recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, fulfilling a campaign promise. Was this a priority for his supporters? While the decision may enjoy broad bipartisan support in the Congress, his voters’ … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Syrian Conflict: Time for Actions to Match Words

November 27, 2017 On November 11, 2017, Presidents Putin and Trump met on the margins of the APEC conference in Vietnam. The joint-statement issued after the meeting said that there is no military solution to the Syrian conflict and that … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

United We Stand Against NATO

  November 20, 2017 Last Friday, the news that Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey and President Erdogan were depicted as “enemies” in NATO military exercises in Norway hit the headlines.  It was reported that an image of the “enemy” … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

What if…

November 15, 2017 What if the Turkish Government had, • remained on the democratic path, thus an invaluable partner for the West, • continued to be a source of inspiration for the Middle East,

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

State of Confusion in Riyadh

November 13, 2017 Candidate Trump called Saudi Arabia “the world’s biggest funders of terrorism.” President Trump made his first foreign trip to Saudi Arabia. On November 7, in the wake of the purges in the Saudi capital, he tweeted, “I … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Prime Minister Yıldırım’s Visit to Washington

November 6, 2017 On October 29, Secretary Tillerson made the following remarks on the occasion of Turkey’s National Day: “… Turkey has been a close American ally for more than 60 years. We are strategic partners in addressing the causes … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment