Russian deputy foreign minister named as ambassador to Türkiye

MOSCOW

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Feb. 20 appointed Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin the country’s new ambassador to Türkiye.

Vershinin’s dismissal as deputy foreign minister and his subsequent appointment as Russian ambassador was made official by presidential decrees posted on the Russian government portal.

His appointment comes five months after former ambassador to Türkiye Alexey Yerkhov was made ambassador to Tashkent by presidential decree on Sept. 5.

Russia's diplomatic mission in Ankara had since was being led by acting Charge d'Affaires Alexey Ivanov.

In a separate decree, Putin appointed Russia’s ambassador to Egypt, Georgy Borisenko, as deputy foreign minister.

Born in 1954, Vershinin graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 1976 and from the Foreign Ministry’s diplomatic academy in 1991.

He held various positions in Russian diplomatic missions in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, serving as ambassador to Algeria from 1999 to 2003.

Since 2004, he held various positions within the Foreign Ministry, while also serving as deputy foreign minister from 2018 until his recent appointment.

Last month, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Russia remains open to further dialogue with Ukraine in Istanbul after the Abu Dhabi talks.

The sides met in Istanbul in 2025 when diplomatic delegations from both countries met under Turkish mediation as part of efforts to restart peace negotiations after a three-year hiatus. The talks included direct discussions on a prisoner exchange and other confidence-building measures, marking the first face-to-face peace talks in Istanbul since 2022.