The speculation about who will take over from veteran Turkish Cypriot diplomat Ambassador Oya Tuncalı when she completes her term as the London Representative this summer is over.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has announced that Ambassador Çimen Keskin will become the new London Representative of the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC). She will officially start her new role on 1 August 2021.
The news of Keskin’s appointment came as part of a larger announcement from the MFA last week about overseas diplomatic postings, following approval by the Council of Ministers and publication in the Official Gazette.
The MFA also confirmed that TRNC Brussels Representative Damla Güçlü and TRNC Abu Dhabi Representative Zeliha Khashman have had their terms extended by a year to 31 July 2022.
TRNC BishkekRepresentative Atınç Keskin will remain in his post until this summer, as will Islamabad Representative Mehmet Davulcu.
The Consul Generals for TRNC’s Consular Offices in Gaziantep and Trabzon were also confirmed as respectively Fahri Yönlüer and Erhan Özkan, while Müjde İnançoğlu, who has previously served in London, was promoted to First Secretary in the TRNC Helsinki Representative Office.
Who is Ambassador Çimen Keskin?
Ambassador Keskin is the MFA’s Director of Research and Foreign Policy Planning. The experienced Turkish Cypriot diplomat has previously served in Italy and Bahrain.
Initially starting her career at the TRNC Presidency, Keskin had her first experience of international diplomacy in the TRNC Embassy in Ankara between 1995 and 1997.
On her return to Lefkoşa, she worked in the MFA’s Public Information Office before transferring across to the TRNC diplomatic service.
After being promoted to Second Secretary, she spent five years in Rome, from 2003 to 2008.
In 2010, she was posted to Bahrain, establishing the TRNC’s first Representative Office in the capital Manama. She served in the post for three years.
Ambassador Keskin had her second stint in Italy, this time as the TRNC Representative to Rome, in 2017. She completed her term in 2020 and returned to Lefkoşa to take up her current position.
Born in Baf/Paphos in 1969, the mother-of-one speaks Turkish, English and Italian fluently.
Main image, top of Ambassador Çimen Keskin and TRNC Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu, 2017
