About The Academy

Diplomacy Academy was established under the name of “Foreign Affairs Academy” on January 22, 1968. Later in 1994, its name was changed into “Foreign Affairs Training Center” pursuant to the “Act dated 24 June 1994 and numbered 4009 on the Organization and Duties of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs”. In 2010 it was restructured with the Act numbered 6004 on Organization and Duties of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the change of its name into “Diplomacy Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs” as one of the supporting service units of the Ministry with expanded coverage of duties. This structure was preseved by the Presidential Decree No:1 dated 10 July 2018.

Diplomacy Academy is a training institution which plans and conducts basic, preparatory and in-service trainings and internship programs for the Ministry members who carry out the international relations of the Republic of Türkiye, its foreign policy and consular services. Academy offers training programs for the career diplomats of foreign countries as well. Academy is also responsible for the planning and participation of Ministry officials in the training programs, language courses and professional seminars in foreign countries. In addition, Diplomacy Academy carries out the training of the public officials posted to foreign missions from other government institutions and entities.

In proportion to expanding scope of Turkish Foreign Policy and initiatives taken at regional scale, the need of the Ministry for more qualified cadres increases too. The primary objective of the Academy is to provide human resources, who in today’s rapidly changing international arena, can make appropriate evaluations, produce solutions, effectively implement policies, undertake and thoroughly fulfill tasks and responsibilities both at headquarters and missions abroad; have the capacity to develop proactive policies within a long standing diplomacy culture and tradition. Accordingly, pre-service and in-service training programs for all categories of Ministry staff, especially for the career and consular officials, have been improved and enriched in terms of both duration and content.

Activities of the Academy can be classified under three categories as “Training Programs for the Ministry Officials”, “Training Programs for Foreign Diplomats” and “Training Programs for Other Public Institutions and Entities”. One of the most important duties of the Academy is training of the newly-recruited employees. The newly-recruited employees undergo a mandatory “in-service training” process organized within the framework of State Personnel Law No. 657 (Article 55) and Regulation of 1983 by State Personnel Administration. “Basic Training” being the first step of this in-service training process is designed to convey the minimum knowledge on common qualifications of a state employee as in other state institutions. “Preparatory Training”, the second step of the process, consists of theoretical and practical courses crucial for professional development of employees.

Among the programs targeted at other public institutions and entities, the primary activity of the Academy is the “Foreign Service Orientation Program”, organized four times a year with the aim of preparing the personnel from other public institutions and entities for their duties in missions abroad. In addition to “Foreign Service Orientation Programs”, Diplomacy Academy contributes to in-service training programs conducted by other state institutions for their own employees by providing lectures in its fields of expertise.

In line with the dynamic foreign policy pursued, the scope of international activities of the Diplomacy Academy has also increased dramatically. Academy’s activities and programs prepared for foreign diplomats have an important role in terms of public diplomacy. Training activities for foreign diplomats are planned as bilateral and multilateral programs. “International Junior Diplomats Training Program”-organized annually since 1992- is met by a growing interest. Young career diplomats from all around the world are invited to Türkiye for this multinational and multicultural training program. Academy offers a comprehensive program consisting of courses on fundamentals of foreign policy making process, Turkish Foreign Policy, diplomacy, international relations, international economics, regional and global issues, negotiation techniques and protocol rules. As of October 2023, 1255 young diplomats from 135 countries have participated in this program.

Diplomacy Academy, upon requests received within the framework of bilateral cooperation agreements, organizes tailor-made training programs for foreign diplomats. Likewise, delegations of Turkish young diplomats also enhance their experience and know-how by participating similar training programs abroad. Diplomacy Academy is also in charge of coordination of “Diplomat Exchange Programs”, in which diplomats from partner foreign ministries participate in internship programs which lasts three to twelve months at hosting state’s foreign ministry. In addition to above functions, Academy prepares the Ministry Yearbook - an important duty in terms of preservation of institutional memory.