Why Was Hakan Fidan Targeted?
As the main opposition, the CHP, known for objecting to everyone outside the U.S. and Europe—including itself—has now targeted two more key figures alongside President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the AK Party. These are Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and former Chief of General Staff, current Minister of National Defense, and now the Chairman of the National Defense Commission of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Hulusi Akar.
Let’s look at the CHP’s criticisms in turn.
CHP member Namık Tan claimed that there are “serious question marks” regarding the educational qualifications of Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yılmaz. He alleged that the equivalency of Fidan’s bachelor’s degree, obtained via distance education, was uncertain.
In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs publicly released Fidan’s bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate diplomas, as well as the equivalency certificate issued by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) in 1998. Moreover, both the Center for Combating Disinformation and the Turkish Grand National Assembly, via parliamentary questions, confirmed that institutions had rejected these claims.
CHP defends thieves, corrupts, and bribe-takers, while attacking honest people
It is sheer recklessness that the CHP, which insisted on presenting Ekrem İmamoğlu—whose university diplomas were officially deemed fake by YÖK and the courts—as a presidential candidate, now tries to smear Hakan Fidan with claims of a “fake diploma,” even though official institutions have clearly confirmed its authenticity.
By diverting public attention from the rampant corruption, bribery, forgery, and espionage emerging from its headquarters, municipalities, and affiliates, the CHP seeks to momentarily ease its conscience by focusing on manufactured targets.
Namık Tan misses the old Türkiye
In a speech at the Grand National Assembly, Namık Tan claimed that Fidan directs foreign policy according to ideological motives, isolating Türkiye. He argued that unqualified, non-career appointments were made in the ministry and cited the decreasing budget over the years as evidence of alleged shortcomings.
Namık Tan is himself a career diplomat— a product of the “old-school” ministry he seeks to defend. The “loneliness” he laments is merely that Israel and a few allied nations have begun to fear Türkiye despite its stance. Even the U.S., which he so admires, now realizes it cannot execute its regional agenda contrary to Türkiye's will.
Regarding the budget, it seems the Ministry of Foreign Affairs now accomplishes far more with far less funding than in previous decades. Hakan Fidan is regarded as one of the world’s most brilliant and successful foreign ministers. The mud the CHP throws cannot stick to him.
From Namık Tan’s speeches, one can easily infer whose interests he truly serves.
During discussions on the Somali mandate at the Assembly, Namık Tan, while........
© Stratejik Düşünce Enstitüsü
