Basat Öztürk

Before being appointed  as the Acting Director General for International Security Affairs on January 18, 2023, Ambassador Basat Öztürk had been the  Turkish Permanent Representative to NATO.   

Previously,  Ambassador Öztürk was serving as the Deputy Undersecretary at the Turkish Ministry of National Defence (MoND) between October 2016-November 2018 and he was in charge of Plans and Policy as well as Budget and Financial Services of the MoND,  working closely with the Ministers of National Defence also on bilateral and multilateral relations, including those related to international security and defense affairs. 

Prior to assuming that position, he was Director General for International Security Affairs (NATO, OSCE, Arms Control and Disarmament) at the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) between 2015-2016. He earlier served at the MFA as Director General for Multilateral Political Affairs between 2013-2015.  

He was appointed in October 2009 as Turkish Ambassador to Kabul, Afghanistan where he had served until November 2013. 

He had earlier assumed various functions at the MFA as Deputy Director General for Maritime and Aviation Affairs from 2007 until 2009 and as Head of Maritime Department between 2004 and 2007.  

During 2002 – 2004 he was the Turkish Consul General in Alexandria, Egypt. 

Previously, he had served as Chief of Section and then Head of Department at the MFA’s Deputy Directorate General for Euro-Atlantic Security and Defense Affairs from 2000 until 2002. 

His successive appointments right before were mainly related to international security and defence matters, including as the First Secretary and Defence Counsellor at the Turkish Permanent Mission to NATO from 1996 to 2000 and the First Secretary at NATO Military Affairs Department of the MFA from 1994 until 1996. He also attended the NATO Defense College in 1996.  

Ambassador Öztürk had also served in a number of other posts since joining the MFA in 1985, including as Vice-Consul in Chicago, Illinois, USA from 1991 to 1994; Third Secretary at the Turkish Embassy in Tehran, Iran between 1989 and 1991 and Attaché and Third Secretary at the NATO Department of the MFA from 1985 until 1989. 

Ambassador Öztürk was born in Elazığ, Türkiye on December 7, 1963. He graduated from Faculty of Political Science at Ankara University in 1985. 

He is married with two daughters.