İlter Türkmen was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1980 to 1983. In his diplomatic career he served as Director General, Deputy Under-Secretary, Under-Secretary in the Ministry, as Ambassador to Greece, to the Soviet Union, to France and as Permanent Representative to the United Nations. After he retired he was appointed as Under- Secretary General of the United Nations in charge of UNRWA from 1991 to 1996.Later he wrote regular columns on domestic and foreign policy at Hürriyet newspaper for nine years. He is the Chairman of the Foreign and Defense Policies Group of the Middle East and Balkans Studies Foundation. Turkmen is a graduate from the Political Sciences Faculty of Ankara University.