Türkiye restores ambassadorial presence in Damascus after 13 years

Turkish Ambassador Nuh Yilmaz officially begins his tenure in Syria on December 22, marking the first time in 13 years that Ankara will be represented in Damascus at the ambassadorial level.

Yilmaz’s appointment was announced in October and confirmed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in November. He succeeds Turkish chargé d’affaires Burhan Keroğlu, whose term had maintained a lower-level diplomatic presence in Syria since 2010, Caliber.Az reports via Turkish media. 

A career diplomat and intelligence official, Yilmaz joined Türkiye 's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) in 2013, working closely with current Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan until 2023. Following Fidan’s appointment as foreign minister in June 2023, Yilmaz transitioned to the Foreign Ministry, taking on the roles of chief advisor to the minister and chairman of the Ministry’s Center for Strategic Studies.

By Sabina Mammadli