Turkish President Erdogan Appoints Top Aide Ibrahim Kalin as New Intelligence Chief

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appointed chief presidential adviser and spokesperson İbrahim Kalın to head Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT), state media reported on Monday.

Kalın will replace Hakan Fidan, who led the MIT since 2010. On Saturday, Erdoğan appointed Fidan as the new foreign minister.

Under Erdoğan’s leadership, the MIT has played an increasingly large role in both domestic and foreign affairs in Turkey.

Erdoğan and Kalın have a long history. In 2010, when Erdoğan was prime minister, Kalın became the country’s first head of the Prime Ministry Public Diplomacy Coordinatorship. He advanced to deputy undersecretary of the prime ministry in 2012.

Since Erdoğan became president in 2014, Kalın has served as presidential press secretary and chief adviser to the president. He has been involved in shaping Turkey’s foreign policy, including orchestrating dialogue between Turkey and the EU.

Kalın holds a doctorate in Islamic studies from George Washington University. In 2006, he co-founded the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research, also known by its Turkish-language acronym SETA, a pro-government think tank based in Ankara.

Erdoğan, who has led Turkey since 2003, won 52.18% of the votes in the May 28 presidential runoff against rival Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.