Ömer Önhon

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Ömer Önhon (born 29 December 1960 in Paris) is a Turkish diplomat who has served as Turkey’s ambassador to Syria and to Spain. He studied economics at Kingston University and joined the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1985. He was Consul General in New York (2002–2006), headed the Middle East Department (2006–2007), and was Deputy Director General for the Middle East (2007–2009). He was Turkey’s ambassador to Syria from 2009 to 2012, the last Turkish ambassador to Ba'athist Syria, and he witnessed early events of the Syrian Civil War. In 2012 he returned to Ankara and became Deputy Undersecretary for the Middle East. He later served as Turkey’s ambassador to Spain from September 2014 to January 2019, and then as Director General for International Security Affairs from 2019 to 2021, retiring in April 2021. He published a memoir, Syria Through the Ambassador’s Eyes, in 2021. He is married and fluent in English. His father is retired ambassador Candemir Önhon, and his grandfather Saim Önhon was a soldier, parliamentarian, and founder of the Turkish Jockey Club.