Erdoğan signs off: Ambassadors appointed to 9 countries, rectors to 10 universities

Appointment decisions published with the signature of AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have appeared in the Official Gazette. According to the decisions, ambassadors were appointed to 9 countries and rectors were appointed to 10 universities.

With the decisions published in the Official Gazette dated August 18, 2026, changes in duties were carried out in universities, ministries, and various public institutions, as well as in foreign missions. The President of the Measurement, Selection and Placement Center (ÖSYM), Prof. Dr. Bayram Ali Ersoy, was reappointed to the same position.

NEW APPOINTMENTS IN FOREIGN MISSIONS

Within the scope of the decisions, appointments were made to Turkey's embassies in Qatar, Jordan, Kuwait, Moldova, Djibouti, Estonia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iran, and Botswana.

• - Yakup Caymazoğlu, Ambassador to Jordan, was appointed as Ambassador to Qatar.
• - Hakan Karaçay, Deputy General Manager for the Middle East, was appointed as Ambassador to Jordan.
• - Can Oğuz, Deputy General Manager for Eastern Europe, was appointed as Ambassador to Kuwait.
• - Nazmiye Başaran, Deputy General Manager for Syria, was appointed as Ambassador to Moldova.
• - Djibouti Ambassador Erdal Sabri Ergen was recalled to headquarters, and Hüseyin Özdemir was appointed to this position.
• - Havva Yonca Gündüz Özçeri was appointed as Ambassador to Estonia, and Senem Güzel was appointed as Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• - Uruguay Ambassador Tunca Özçuhadar was recalled to headquarters; Ahmet Aydın Doğan was appointed as Ambassador to Iran.
• - Vesime Ela Beşkardeş Karagöl was appointed as Ambassador to Botswana.

APPOINTMENTS IN UNIVERSITIES AND PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS

Universities where rectors were appointed include Düzce University, Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University, Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Gebze Technical University, İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University, and Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa.

Prof. Dr. Nedim Sözbir was appointed as Rector of Düzce University, Prof. Dr. Ufuk Kuyrukluyıldız as Rector of Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University, and Prof. Dr. Emine Gümüşsoy as Rector of Eskişehir Osmangazi University. Prof. Dr. Hacı Ali Mantar was appointed as Rector of Gebze Technical University, Prof. Dr. Behzat Orhan Aytür as Rector of İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University, and Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Botanlıoğlu as Rector of Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa.

Prof. Dr. Mustafa Balcı was appointed as Rector of İzmir Kâtip Çelebi University, Prof. Dr. Yusuf Yılmaz as Rector of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, Prof. Dr. Hamza Al as Rector of Sakarya University, and Prof. Dr. Ahmet Ulusoy as Rector of Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University. Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Karaman was appointed as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University.

The decisions also included appointments and dismissals regarding ministries and affiliated organizations. Prof. Dr. Fehmi Mercanoğlu was appointed as a Cardiology Member of the Third Specialization Board of the Council of Forensic Medicine.

In the Ministry of Family and Social Services, Deputy General Manager of Services for the Disabled and Elderly Muhammed Gülyurt was dismissed and replaced by Fatma Yiğiter Kara. The Ministry's Rize Provincial Director Hüseyin Güçlü was also dismissed.

Engin Akyol, General Manager of Information Technologies, was appointed as Vice President of the Social Security Institution. While Deputy Head of the Housing Development Administration (TOKİ) Dursun Baştürk was dismissed, Ahmet Kutluğ Gayretli and Abdulvahap Afşin were appointed as deputy heads.

In the Ministry of Treasury and Finance, Deputy General Manager of Personnel Bekir Sıddık Adıbelli was dismissed. While Sabire Firdes Terzi was appointed as General Manager of Personnel, new appointments were also made within the State Supply Office and the Revenue Administration.

In the Ministry of Interior, Mehmet Parlak was appointed as Head of Strategy Development, Eyüp Özdemir as Head of the Internal Security Strategies Department, and Hüseyin Tekin as Head of the Smuggling Intelligence, Operations and Data Collection Department.

Özer Dumanlı, Deputy General Manager of Construction and Real Estate at the Ministry of National Education, and Mehmet Emin Güven, Deputy General Manager of Personnel at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, were also among those dismissed. Ceyhun Bozçalar was appointed as a member of the Board of Directors of the Meat and Milk Board.