Rauf Alp R. Denktaş
Rauf Alp Denktaş joined the Turkish Foreign Service in 2001 and started his diplomatic career in the Turkish Foreign Ministry’s Department of NATO and Western European Union Affairs.
In 2003, he was assigned to the Turkish Embassy in Bucharest, Romania for two years as Third Secretary followed by a three-year-term in the Turkish Embassy in Tel Aviv, where he served as Second Secretary.
Upon returning to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2008, Denktaş worked at the Israel and Palestine Desk as a First Secretary responsible for Turkey-Israel and Turkey-Palestine relations, and for Turkey’s involvement in and contributions to the Middle East peace process.
In 2010, he was posted to Washington, D.C. as Counsellor and Embassy Spokesman. In 2011, he also assumed the position of Chief Congressional Liaison to the U.S. Congress, leading the Embassy’s outreach efforts on Capitol Hill.
In November 2013, he assumed his duties as the Head of Department for NATO and Euro-Atlantic Security (Political Affairs) at the Foreign Ministry.
In October 2015, he was appointed to Permanent Mission of Turkey to the UN as First Counsellor. He represented Turkey in the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) and followed related files at the Security Council in addition to Eastern Europe, Latin America and Cyprus. He was elected as Vice Chair of the UN Disarmament Commission (UNDC) for its 2017 session.
In October 2018, Mr. Denktaş was promoted to the rank of Deputy Permanent Representative. He was elected as Chair of the 9th Meeting of States-Parties to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families, which was held in New York on 10 June 2019.
Denktaş is currently serving as Deputy Director General for Multilateral Economic Affairs at the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Bilkent University in Ankara and a master’s degree in international relations from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.
Denktaş is married to Rachel Loren Denktaş and has a son and a daughter.