Who is Nuh Yılmaz, Türkiye’s new ambassador to Syria?

Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has named his deputy, Nuh Yılmaz, as the country’s ambassador to Syria.

Anadolu Agency describes it as a strategic step in the restoration of full diplomatic relations between Ankara and Damascus. Until now, Syria had been represented in Türkiye by a chargé d’affaires.

Nuh Yılmaz is a seasoned Turkish diplomat with extensive experience in foreign policy, intelligence, and communications. From 2023 to 2024, he served as director of the Centre for Strategic Studies (SAM) under the Foreign Ministry and as senior advisor to Minister Fidan. Before joining the ministry, Yılmaz spent more than ten years at Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organisation (MIT), specialising in regional security and Middle Eastern affairs.

Yılmaz has also worked extensively in the United States, heading the Washington office of the SETA think tank between 2008 and 2011. He has taught at George Mason University and Marmara University and collaborated with media outlets. He is fluent in English and Arabic and has completed advanced training programs at NATO, Harvard, and Georgetown.

A source in Turkish diplomatic circles told Al-Monitor that Yılmaz, who will officially assume his post once his appointment is published in the Official Gazette in the coming days, played a key role in high-level diplomatic negotiations on Syria. He participated in most of Minister Fidan’s meetings in both Ankara and Damascus.

The appointment signals the complete restoration of diplomatic relations with Syria and follows the reopening of the Turkish embassy in Damascus, which took place immediately after the overthrow of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

Al-Monitor highlights that Ankara had previously delayed the ambassadorial appointment due to concerns over the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led the offensive against Assad. The establishment of a new government under the current President, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who spearheaded the offensive, and the marginalisation of HTS, subsequently paved the way for Yılmaz’s appointment.

By Tamilla Hasanova