Presidency's Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun remarked, "Türkiye continues to make strides as an ally, an economic actor, and a centre of attraction. Türkiye, through the leader-to-leader diplomacy pursued by our President, has emerged as a significant player in the global arena, effectively mediating the settlement of crises."
The Public Diplomacy Coordination Board convened at the Presidential Complex under the chairmanship of Presidency's Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun.
The Board's fourth meeting was attended by deputy ministers, directors and deputy directors of institutions and organisations related to or affiliated with the Presidency, as well as representatives of public institutions and some non-governmental organisations.
Speaking at the meeting, Director of Communications Altun said that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a concerted effort to integrate public diplomacy and strategic communication into the state's primary strategic approaches, which resulted in major breakthroughs.
Director of Communications Altun further elaborated that "strengthening the Türkiye brand" is the primary objective of public diplomacy efforts, adding:
"Surely, our primary objective is to strengthen the Türkiye brand. Aligned with this objective, the principal focus of our public diplomacy efforts is to deliver accurate and efficient information, conduct communication with a strategic mindset, and make the most of the smart power potential of our country. For the overarching goal of protecting the interests of the entire state of the Republic of Türkiye, our highest priority is to enhance Türkiye's international standing and counter the systematic black propaganda and disinformation campaigns directed at the country through the development of resilient counter-strategies employing effective communication methods and approaches."
Emphasising how communicating Türkiye's stance on international and regional issues that concern the country to the entire world in the most precise, forthright, and transparent manner possible is an essential component of their public diplomacy efforts, Director of Communications Altun went on to say, "The vision of contributing to global peace and stability, an essential tenet of Turkish foreign policy under the leadership of our President, is reflected in the comprehensive nature of our ongoing public diplomacy efforts."
"Public diplomacy efforts represent a strategic enterprise"
Altun noted that harnessing Türkiye's strong potential in numerous fields—including culture, the arts, sports, trade, and science—while enhancing its strength and promoting its values is at the heart of the public diplomacy approach.
"Enhancing coordination is our main objective"
Furthermore, Altun indicated that the establishment of the Public Diplomacy Coordination Board was intended to coordinate the work and operations between institutions by ensuring that Türkiye's public diplomacy efforts are carried out in accordance with a comprehensive communication strategy, noting, "Proper execution of public diplomacy efforts aimed at strengthening the Türkiye brand essentially depends on facilitating effective coordination and avoiding overlap."
"We will keep pushing forward to ensure that the Türkiye brand attains its rightful status and grows into a powerful brand. By coordinating the said efforts here, we will continue to work to ensure that the state of the Republic of Türkiye attains the status it deserves on the international stage. In terms of boosting the visibility of their initiatives, contributing to Türkiye's promotion policies, and accurately informing the public, we are completely open to collaborating with any of our stakeholder institutions and organisations."
"Türkiye is an actor in the global arena"
Referring to the fact that Türkiye is situated in a geographical region rife with both crises and opportunities, Director of Communications Altun said:
"Today, Türkiye's foreign policy, which it has been pursuing for the last 21 years, continues its efforts to create an economic integration belt on the one hand and to contribute to the solution of the crises around it on the other hand, while at the same time benefiting from these crises on behalf of Türkiye. The crises occurring globally since 2020 have unequivocally and decisively demonstrated to the international public the significance of Türkiye. Despite all the challenges and hard tests, Türkiye continues to take the right steps in its economy. In this respect, Türkiye continues to make strides as an ally, an economic actor, and a centre of attraction. Furthermore, through the leader-to-leader diplomacy pursued by our President, Türkiye has emerged as a significant player in the global arena, effectively mediating the settlement of crises. One of our most important opportunities here is that our President can maintain dialogue with many international actors and carry out effective diplomacy. With Türkiye's strong leadership and political stability in general, we are able to have an effective presence in this crisis-ridden region and in the world. This opportunity is undoubtedly our strongest source of reference in our public diplomacy activities."
"Strategic communication campaigns are important"
Pointing to the importance of further internationalising the activities and visions of all institutions in terms of utilising Türkiye's smart power potential, Director of Communications Altun said: "Because Türkiye is today a country that is taking significant steps to become a global actor, rather than just a regional power and a local actor. Taking institutionalisation steps in the regions that offer us opportunities and are more generous in this regard—Asia, Africa, the Caucasus, and the Balkans—and undertaking longer-term initiatives is critical work."
Emphasising the significance of undertaking long-term institutionalising efforts that transcend individual generations, as opposed to relying on short-term or daily policies, Director of Communications Altun said:
"In this framework, many institutions have emerged in the last 20 years. Each of these institutions is essentially geared towards doing permanent institutionalised work in these regions. The common denominator of these institutions is public diplomacy. And at this point, we attach great importance to public diplomacy efforts. On the other hand, in Western countries, where we face more challenges, we need to take much more effective steps in line with our internationalisation policy. Additionally, investing in strategic actors in this region and conducting strategic communication campaigns in the context of public diplomacy are undoubtedly extremely important. It is critical to support lobbying activities to complement all these efforts. These efforts, which will be carried out mainly in the Western world, in regions and countries where we face more challenges, are actually efforts that each of our institutions will contribute to."
"We can make it an instrument of Türkiye"
Highlighting the significance of public, private sector and civil society cooperation while conducting public diplomacy efforts, Director of Communications Altun emphasised the importance of investing in this and maintaining coordination between these structures.
Thanking those who contributed to the Coordination Board, Director of Communications Altun said, "If we act in coordination and cooperation, we can ensure that public diplomacy efforts, which are strongly represented in each institution, are integrated into a strategy for the interests of our state and make it an instrument of a Türkiye that is effective, strong and plays an important role in securing peace in the international arena."
