Turkish ambassador named OSCE special envoy to combat intolerance, Islamophobia

A senior Turkish ambassador has been appointed special envoy for combating intolerance and Islamophobia for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Evren Dagdelen Akgun has been appointed by Malta, which holds the 2024 OSCE chairpersonship, as the “Personal Representative of the Chairpersonship on Combating Intolerance and Discrimination against Muslims," said the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Anadolu reports.

The ministry welcomed the appointment of a Turkish national to this role once more, highlighting Türkiye's "active" and "resolute" commitment to combating intolerance and discrimination against Muslims, the statement said.

Akgun, a 30-year veteran of the Turkish foreign service, has served in such far-flung and important posts as Brussels – as envoy to the European Union – as well as in Washington, Uzbekistan, and Thailand.