In an interview with daily T24, former Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Namık Tan has accused the ministry of lacking ideological independence from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). In practice, he said, the body only follows the orders of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

“The Foreign Ministry looks like the ideological commissariat of a political party,” he said. “Many people, including former ministers from the ruling party, deputies, candidates, and their relatives, are ambassadors.”

Tan first entered the Foreign Service in 1982 and worked in the Moscow and Abu Dhabi embassies. He then was the chief clerk for the Washington embassy from 1991-1995 and worked as undersecretary in the Ministry between 1997-2001.

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During Abdullah Gül’s Presidential term beginning in 2007, he served as spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry and was appointed ambassador to Washington from 2010-2014, when Erdoğan became President.

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