Namık Tan

Namık Tan (born 1956 in Mardin, Turkey) is a Turkish politician from the Republican People's Party. He was the ambassador of Turkey to the United States. He held that office from February 2010 until May 2014. He was a former ambassador of Turkey to Israel between 2007 and 2009. He also served in the United Arab Emirates, Russia, and in senior positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He was elected to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey from Istanbul (II) in the 2023 Turkish parliamentary election.

Early life
Tan's family traces its ancestral roots to Bulgaria, Greece, Ossetia, Syria, and elsewhere. He became interested in diplomacy at a young age. His father was a Turkish administrator and his work required the family to move around frequently. This broad exposure prompted Tan to take the foreign service examination. He studied law but did not become a lawyer.

Namık Tan was appointed as the Turkish Ambassador to Tel Aviv in December 2006, replacing Feridun Sinirlioğlu. On January 22, 2007, he presented his letter of credence to Israeli President Moshe Katsav and began his new assignment. During his tenure as ambassador, diplomatic relations between Israel and Turkey were at a normal level, but were hit by the Davos Crisis between Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Shimon Peres in early 2009. Tan was appointed Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in July 2009.

Namık Tan was appointed to this position after the resignation of Ambassador to Washington Nabi Şensoy in December 2009. On February 25, 2010, he presented his letter of credence to President Barack Obama and began his new assignment. After four years in office, he was transferred to the central office by decree dated March 17, 2014. After being transferred to the center, Tan retired and was elected as a member of the board of directors of the construction company STFA Group.