Senior Turkish Diplomat as Special Envoy for Aid to Pakistan

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Turkish Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Rauf Engin Soysal as Special Envoy for Assistance to Pakistan, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters after a meeting with the UN head on Monday.

“Upon the UN’s demand, Turkey is set to send another of its respected diplomats to a very important international assignment, which is a great source of pride for us,” Davutoglu said.

The Turkish diplomat will take over the title from Jean Maurice Ripert of France.

Soysal said that he would like to thank Turkish officials for their support and he was very excited about the mission.

The post is very important to me. I earlier worked in Pakistan. I will do what I can for Pakistan,” he said.

A statement by the UN said, “Ambassador Rauf Engin Soysal brings to this position extensive experience in bilateral and multilateral diplomacy and in-depth knowledge of the region. Soysal holds the position of Turkey’s Deputy Under-Secretary for Bilateral Political Affairs responsible for the Middle East, South Asia and Africa. He is also Turkish representative on the group of Special Representatives for Afghanistan and Pakistan. Prior to his current assignment, Soysal served as the Ambassador of Turkey to Pakistan between January 2007 to July 2009.”

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