The Strategic Communication Summit (STRATCOM), organised for the fifth time by the Directorate of Communications of the Presidency of Türkiye, will bring together senior officials from 38 countries in İstanbul to address not only the war in the Middle East but also the most profound challenges facing the international system.
İstanbul to host the key international meeting
The two-day summit will take place in İstanbul on 27–28 March, with the participation of Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan, and Head of the National Intelligence Organisation İbrahim Kalın, alongside 11 ministers and over 60 senior officials from ten countries.
Held under the theme “Disruption in the International System: Crises, Narratives, and Search for Order", the two-day summit will examine the disruption in the international system, the crises that have emerged as a result, and perspectives from different regions on the search for a global order.
Burhanettin Duran: STRATCOM as a strong message of collective action
In a statement shared via his social media account, Head of Communications Prof. Burhanettin Duran noted, “Our objective as the Presidency of Communications is to harness the power of strategic communication to strengthen international cooperation and mobilise collective wisdom.” Duran emphasised that the summit is not merely a meeting but also a strong declaration of will toward solving global issues.
Describing communication as the most powerful tool for managing crises and building lasting solutions, Duran said, "With the STRATCOM Summit organised in line with the vision of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, we aim to develop a common language for global issues, strengthen dialogue channels, and contribute to the construction of a fairer international system.”
Global uncertainties and the battle of narratives on the agenda
The summit, to be held amid rising geopolitical tensions, economic fluctuations, and multi-layered crises, will address not only structural transformations in the international system but also the increasingly intense global competition of narratives.
The STRATCOM Summit stands out as the first high-level platform following the Munich Security Conference to address the future of the international system from a strategic communication perspective. The event will serve as a crucial platform for comprehensive discussions on the war in the Middle East at the international level.
The opening of the summit will take place with the participation of high-level figures. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will attend the summit via video message, while Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and Head of Communications Burhanettin Duran will deliver opening remarks.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan and Director of the National Intelligence Organisation İbrahim Kalın will participate in the summit as keynote speakers.
Bringing together leaders, diplomats, academics, media professionals, and communication experts from 38 countries and six international organisations, the STRATCOM summit will host 11 ministers and more than 60 senior officials from 10 countries.
Two-Day intensive agenda at the Summit
During the two-day intensive programme of STRATCOM, the transformation of the global system will be addressed through multidimensional themes. On the first day, discussions will focus on shifting power balances in the international system and the role of strategic communication in shaping the international order; topics such as leader-to-leader diplomacy, digital communication, climate diplomacy, and the defence industry will be examined in depth.
In addition, the growing crisis of trust and legitimacy on a global scale, as well as crisis management from the perspective of women leaders, will also be on the agenda.
On the second day, regional and global security issues will come to the fore. Alongside sessions that will examine developments related to the war in the Middle East in depth, critical topics such as the new normal in global governance, the impact of artificial intelligence on strategic communication, the limits of soft power, and the struggle for truth in conflict zones will be discussed.