The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) has appointed Suat Kiniklioglu, founding director of the Ankara Center for Turkish Policy Studies (ANKAM) and former GMF transatlantic fellow, as director of its soon-to-open office in Ankara. Kiniklioglu will help the GMF build a policy center in the Turkish capital at a time when the country will be negotiating EU membership and deepening its ties to the transatlantic community.

During its first year of operations in Turkey, Kiniklioglu will help the GMF develop policy programs, fellowships and grant-making activities to encourage more active and prominent Turkish participation in the Euro-Atlantic community. Additionally, the GMF seeks to support a stronger civilian society within Turkey and its neighboring countries and create a forum where Americans, Europeans and Turks can learn from one another and address shared challenges.

Kiniklioglu brings extensive expertise in Turkish domestic and foreign policy to the GMF as well as in security and strategic issues in Russia, the southern Caucasus and the Black Sea region. As director of ANKAM, he also served as editor of Insight Turkey, the center's quarterly publication on Turkish foreign policy issues. The creation of a Turkey office is a logical next step in the development of the GMF's European program. Over the past five years the GMF has established offices in Brussels, Paris, Bratislava and Belgrade in addition to its Washington, D.C., and Berlin locations. This expansion reflects the institution's increasing focus on policy challenges along Europe's borders, including the Balkans, the Black Sea region and the Middle East. Through its new presence in Turkey, the GMF expects to significantly deepen its influence on the formation of strategic priorities in the region.