The 8th Meeting of Ministers and High-Level Officials in Charge of Media and Information of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS), held in Kazakhstan, addressed the development of media cooperation among member states, combating disinformation and the use of artificial intelligence technologies in the media sector.
The 8th Meeting of Ministers and High-Level Officials in Charge of Media and Information of the OTS was held at the Palace of Independence in Astana, hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan.
Türkiye was represented at the meeting by the Presidency's Deputy Head of Communications of the Republic of Türkiye, Prof. Ferhat Pirinççi. The meeting was also attended by high-level officials in charge of media and information from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, as well as representatives of the OTS Secretariat.
In his address at the meeting, Deputy Head of Communications Pirinççi emphasised the importance of strengthening cooperation and solidarity among the countries of the Turkic world based on their shared history, culture and bonds of brotherhood.
Welcoming the opportunity to meet with his counterparts within the framework of the OTS, Deputy Head of Communications Pirinççi stated that, since its establishment, the Organisation had served as a stable and exemplary model of cooperation, guided by the motto "Unity in Language, Thought and Action."
Deputy Head of Communications Pirinççi stated that strengthening unity and solidarity across the Turkic world was essential not only for the present but also for safeguarding our shared future.
Underscoring the need to further strengthen unity within the Turkic world, Deputy Head of Communications Pirinççi drew attention to the importance of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) taking its place on the common platforms of the Turkic world.
Deputy Head of Communications Pirinççi stated, "A family photo of the Turkic world without the TRNC will always remain incomplete."
"Combating disinformation is of great importance"
Noting that media and communication play a central role in the production, dissemination and delivery of information to societies, Deputy Head of Communications Pirinççi stated that ensuring the flow of accurate and reliable information and combating disinformation had become more important than ever in the digital age, when information spreads rapidly.
Deputy Head of Communications Pirinççi highlighted the need to develop a common understanding and strengthen capacities among countries in order to reinforce national information spaces on the basis of reliable information and enhance resilience against disinformation.
Describing the theme of the meeting, "Information Policy of OTS Member States in the Age of Artificial Intelligence", as particularly appropriate, Deputy Head of Communications Pirinççi stressed the need to comprehensively address not only the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence technologies but also the risks and responsibilities they entail.
Deputy Head of Communications Pirinççi stated that enhancing media literacy, strengthening capacities in digital media, improving training for media professionals, implementing joint content initiatives and projects, and making effective use of artificial intelligence technologies were among the priority areas of cooperation. He added that joint steps taken in these areas would contribute to ensuring the flow of accurate and reliable information.
Deputy Head of Communications Pirinççi affirmed that the Presidency's Directorate of Communications stood ready to increase the exchange of information and experience with its counterpart institutions and establish new areas of cooperation in support of shared objectives.
Exchange of experience in artificial intelligence
Deputy Head of Communications Pirinççi stated that artificial intelligence offered significant opportunities in areas such as content production and data analysis, while also posing serious risks, including disinformation and the generation of fabricated content. He underscored the importance of joint efforts to counter hybrid threats and information manipulation in the digital environment.
Deputy Head of Communications Pirinççi welcomed the decisions taken at the OTS Informal Summit held on 15 May to prepare an Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Action Plan and to further develop cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence.
Explaining that Türkiye addressed artificial intelligence in all its dimensions and regarded it as a priority area in line with its "Century of Türkiye – Digital Türkiye" vision, Deputy Head of Communications Pirinççi noted that efforts were under way to establish a secure, domestically developed artificial intelligence ecosystem developed in cooperation with the public sector under the Türkiye Artificial Intelligence Action Plan (2026–2030).
Recalling that the Centre for Combating Disinformation (DMM), established in 2022, was at the heart of the Directorate of Communications' efforts to combat disinformation, Deputy Head of Communications Pirinççi stated that the Centre's institutional knowledge and expertise had been made available to the international open-data ecosystem through the Hugging Face platform in May.
He explained that this initiative aimed to contribute to the development of artificial intelligence models capable of detecting disinformation in Turkish, as well as to academic research and media literacy activities. He also recalled that the National Youth Summit on Combating Disinformation had been held in Ankara on 20 May to strengthen societal resilience against disinformation.
Deputy Head of Communications Pirinççi noted that efforts were continuing to ensure the rapid dissemination of information during crises, develop early warning mechanisms and strengthen media literacy. He emphasised the need to increase the exchange of experience among the countries of the Turkic world in these areas and develop joint capacities to combat disinformation.
Joint projects to be developed through the Turkic Broadcasting Network
Deputy Head of Communications Pirinççi stated that Türkiye aimed to strengthen institutional cooperation and enhance the global visibility of the Turkic world during its OTS Chairmanship, noting that one of the priorities was to establish a common information space within the Organisation.
Affirming Türkiye's readiness to cooperate in establishing platforms that would support the development of the common information space being pursued by the OTS, Deputy Head of Communications Pirinççi also highlighted the importance of cooperation in broadcasting among member and observer states.
Deputy Head of Communications Pirinççi stated that Türkiye's views on the draft "Agreement on the Reciprocal Broadcasting of Television and Radio Programmes among the Member States of the OTS", proposed by Uzbekistan, had been conveyed throughout the process. He thanked the participants for taking Türkiye's proposals into consideration and for their constructive approach to the process.
Deputy Head of Communications Pirinççi expressed Türkiye's desire to deepen cooperation in media, information and broadcasting, expand joint activities and implement new projects.
In this context, Deputy Head of Communications Pirinççi expressed his pleasure at the discussion of the Turkic Broadcasting Network at the meeting, envisaged as a complementary platform for cooperation in content sharing, co-production, training and the exchange of experience in broadcasting. He noted that broadcasting-related matters and proposals were expected to be considered by the committees planned to be established within the Network.
Deputy Head of Communications Pirinççi underscored the importance of cooperation in media and information in enhancing the international visibility of the OTS and shared values and expressed his hope that the 2027 Action Plan would yield positive outcomes.
Next meeting to be held in Kyrgyzstan
The meeting was also attended by Deputy Minister of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan Kanat Iskakov, Head of the International Relations Department of the Media and Broadcasting Council of Azerbaijan Rasim Bagirov, Deputy Minister of Culture, Information and Youth Policy of Kyrgyzstan Salkın Sarnogoyeva, Director of the Media Content Preparation Centre of the Presidential Administration of Uzbekistan Kobuljon Ahmedov, and OTS Deputy Secretary General Ömer Kocaman.
Discussions focused on combating disinformation among OTS member states, producing joint media content, enhancing media literacy, sharing experience among media professionals, organising training programmes for young journalists and using artificial intelligence in the media sector.
It was agreed that the next meeting would be hosted by Kyrgyzstan.
