Sedat Önal named Türkiye's ambassador to Washington

Türkiye has appointed Sedat Önal as its new ambassador to Washington and Ahmet Yıldız as its permanent representative to the United Nations in New York, according to diplomatic sources.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan notified Önal and Yıldız of their new duties by phone, the sources informed.

Önal, born in 1963, has served in various capacities within the ministry. He held positions including consul general in Vienna, deputy director general for the Middle East and ambassador to Jordan.

Most recently, he served as deputy foreign minister before being appointed as the special representative of the permanent representative of Türkiye to the U.N.

Ahmet Yıldız, born in 1964, has previously served as consul at the consulate general of Türkiye in Houston and held positions in Türkiye's embassies in Damascus and Riyadh.

The diplomat also served as ambassador in Sarajevo and was elected as a ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy in 2018. He has been serving as deputy foreign minister since last June.

The reshuffle comes on the heels of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's recent appointments of new ambassadors to 10 different countries, including former AKP lawmaker Emrullah İşler as the ambassador to Riyadh.