At the fifth Strategic Communication Summit (STRATCOM), to be organised this year by our Directorate, discussions will address the war in the Middle East as well as the most profound challenges facing the international system.
The Summit, attended by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan, and Director of the National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) İbrahim Kalın, along with 11 ministers and more than 60 senior officials from 10 countries, will be held in İstanbul on 27–28 March.
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.
In a statement shared on his social media account, the Presidency's Head of Communications, Burhanettin Duran, stated, “As the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications, our goal is to foster international cooperation and engage collective wisdom by using the power of strategic communication.”
Head of Communications Duran pointed out 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, Head of Communications 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 narrative competition 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, standing 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, also provides an important ground for a comprehensive discussion of 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 (MIT) İbrahim Kalın will participate in the summit as keynote speakers.
The summit will bring together leaders, diplomats, academics, media professionals, and communication experts from 38 countries and six international organisations.
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 of the summit, 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.