The eighth informal ballot by the United Nations Security Council to select the organisation’s next secretary-general delivered a stark message about the limits of Turkey’s diplomatic influence at the UN. Ankara’s preferred candidate, Feridun Sinirlioğlu, secured just three votes of encouragement, compared with eight votes against and four members who expressed no preference in the Security Council ballot.

The result highlights the serious difficulties facing Turkey’s candidacy, which was submitted on 1 November as Ankara sought to secure the organisation’s top post. The former Turkish foreign minister and current secretary-general of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) faced a particularly unfavourable first showing before the Security Council, with votes against his candidacy more than twice the number in its favour.

The development is of particular significance to Athens, as Greece is not merely following events but is actively involved in the process as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. Greek diplomacy had recognised early on the implications that the possible appointment of a former Turkish foreign minister to the international organisation’s top post could have for Greece’s positions, as well as for the Cyprus issue.

According to reports, Athens activated its contacts within the Security Council, placing particular emphasis on the French factor and the positions of the permanent members. None of the five permanent members – the US, Russia, China, France and the UK – reportedly backed Sinirlioğlu.

At the same time, Athens coordinated its approach with Nicosia, as the Cyprus dimension was crucial from the outset because of Turkey’s illegal occupation of the island. This was not simply a candidacy promoted by Ankara, but the prospect of a Turkish diplomat with direct knowledge of, and involvement in, Turkey’s positions on Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean taking the helm of the UN.

The Greek government’s position was also made public by Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis, who said that universal respect for international law should be a fundamental criterion for the next secretary-general. He pointed out that Turkey does not accept UN resolutions, with the Cyprus issue being the most prominent example. Athens had therefore made clear that it could not support such a candidacy.

It is worth noting that, in the same ballot, Costa Rica’s candidate, Rebeca Grynspan, secured 12 votes of encouragement, making her the clear frontrunner, while Argentina’s Rafael Grossi received nine. The process, however, is not yet complete. The informal ballot does not amount to the formal exclusion of any candidate, and the results are not officially published by the Security Council. The appointment of the new secretary-general requires at least nine votes in favour and, crucially, no negative vote from any of the five permanent members, which hold veto power.

For Ankara, however, Sinirlioğlu’s first test has left a clear political and diplomatic mark: the effort to turn Turkey’s candidacy into a bid with broad international appeal has, at least in its first showing, failed to secure the response the Turkish side had hoped for.