On 11 August 2026, the first meeting of the Stratcom Roundtable series, co-hosted in Berlin by the Presidency's Directorate of Communications and the Embassy of Türkiye in Berlin, brought together senior public administrators, members of the media, academics, and experts from Türkiye and Germany.
Attended by Kasım İleri, the Head of the Department of Strategic Communication and Crisis Management of the Directorate of Communications, and Yankı Kocaefe, the First Counsellor of the Embassy of Türkiye in Berlin, the roundtable addressed topics such as the evolving nature of hybrid threats, opportunities for cooperation between Türkiye and Germany against common threats, the role of strategic communication and the media, risks emerging from artificial intelligence and deepfake technologies, and strengthening societal resilience.
In the meeting, moderated by Prof. Erman Akıllı from Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University, it was pointed out that hybrid threats in today's security environments are becoming increasingly complex and multidimensional while transcending borders. The meeting noted that while the boundaries between conventional and hybrid threats are becoming increasingly blurred, an analysis of the security environment solely based on military threats proves inadequate. Anonymous interventions targeting the media, public opinion, and the information sphere were also emphasised to have become significant elements of hybrid threats.
Mutual understanding on threats and necessity for cooperation
Dr Daria Isachenko, a Researcher from SWP-CATS, touched upon the importance of accurately defining threats, referring to the assessments of Hakan Fidan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, regarding the security and threat environment.
Eckart Cuntz, a Former Ambassador to Ankara, emphasised the importance of NATO allies Türkiye and Germany developing a mutual understanding on hybrid threats, noting that Türkiye's military and intelligence capacity holds significant potential for this cooperation. It was said that bilateral exchange of experience in the field of strategic communication would strengthen the two countries' capacity to combat disinformation and contribute to the development of more effective crisis communication models, adding that such meetings would serve as an important foundation for long-term cooperation.
Stressing that the impacts of hybrid threats can penetrate the very fabric of society, the roundtable highlighted the significance of strengthening national resilience, adding that timely and effective measures must be developed against the societal impacts of hybrid threats.
It was highlighted that strategic communication is not confined to producing the right message in times of crisis and that the coordination capacity among institutions also holds critical importance. The meeting underscored that, in the face of rapid transformation in the information ecosystem, inter-institutional coordination is essential for maintaining public trust.
The StratCom Roundtable series, which began this year with its first international meeting in Berlin, is planned to continue throughout the year in different locations around the world. The meetings aim to address current threats emerging in the field of communication and to contribute to the development of international cooperation against these threats. The Stratcom Roundtable meetings also constitute a significant part of the preparation process leading up to the Stratcom Summit, a more comprehensive umbrella event to be held in 2027.