Hakan Fidan, the head of Turkish intelligence agency National Intelligence Organization [MIT], has been appointed to the foreign minister post in the new Cabinet announced by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Fidan, who takes over from Mevlut Cavusoglu as the country's top diplomat, was born in Ankara's Hamamonu neighbourhood in 1968.
He graduated from the Army Signal School and the Army Language School, and completed a significant part of his academic studies during his service in the Turkish Armed Forces [TSK].
During his overseas NATO assignment, Fidan obtained undergraduate degrees in politics and management science from the University of Maryland which was followed by master's and doctoral degrees from the International Relations Department at Bilkent University.
After his service in the TSK, Fidan focused on academic life and taught international relations courses at Hacettepe and Bilkent universities in the Turkish capital of Ankara.
Fidan held critical positions in foreign policy and security in state institutions.
He served as Deputy Undersecretary for Foreign Policy and Security at the Prime Ministry and Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency.
He was a member of the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, special representative of the prime minister, Deputy Undersecretary of MIT, Head of MIT and special representative of the president.
Fidan has been serving as the head of MIT for 13 years since May 27, 2010 and President Erdogan once called the 55-year-old his "secret-keeper".
He is married and has three children.
