Ambassador Hüseyin Diriöz

From Hürriyet Daily News:  NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen has appointed a Turk as the body’s deputy responsible for defense and planning, keeping a 2009 promise to appoint a Turk to the job.

Secretary General Rasmussen appointed Ambassador Hüseyin Diriöz, a foreign policy adviser to Turkish President Abdullah Gül, on Friday.

Rasmussen had promised Turkey to appoint a deputy secretary general from the country after a row at NATO’s 60th anniversary summit in Strasbourg in 2009 overshadowed his own appointment. The crisis was solved after Turkey was promised the posts of senior military command and deputy secretary general.

From ZamanThe appointment of Hüseyin Diriöz, currently the top foreign policy adviser to the Turkish president, was no surprise. The senior diplomat formerly held a position at NATO and was seen as a frontrunner candidate for the post. Diriöz will officially begin his duty on Aug. 1, private NTV television said.

From the World Bulletin:  Dirioz will be the principal adviser to NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on political-military policy and planning issues, including logistics, missile defense, terrorism, WMD issues, nuclear policy and defense aspects of cooperation with partners and international organizations.

He will be responsible for the development and delivery of NATO’s defence policy and of planning mechanisms to support national and collective defence and force planning. …

Dirioz earlier served as the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, and Turkey’s ambassador to Jordan.  (photo: Yeni Safak)