Director of Communications Altun: “We find it difficult to comprehend why some individuals in Türkiye who claim to be involved in politics feel uncomfortable with our breakthroughs in the defence industry. We are proud of the local and international entrepreneurs who, through the defence industry, make significant contributions to this field. We never take these threats seriously and don't pay attention. We want it to be known in that way.”
Presidency’s Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun attended the "Türkiye Book Promotion and Türkiye in the Century of Türkiye Event” held at the Presidency's Director of Communications' Conference Hall.
Director of Communications Altun stated that he is very pleased to be with the participants on the occasion of a valuable project related to the promotion of Türkiye as the Presidency and that the Türkiye Book is a unique resource that introduces Türkiye in a wide range from its history to its geography, from its cultural richness to public services.
“Thank Allah, we live in a country that is rich and powerful in many ways, including historical, cultural, social, humanitarian, geographical, economic, technological, military, and so on," said Director of Communications Altun, and continued:
“At the same time, we play an active role in promoting international peace, justice, prosperity, and stability. Of course, it is critical to communicate Türkiye’s policies, practises, and approaches to the world public opinion and global counterparts in a planned, continuous, and effective manner, as well as to raise awareness. As the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications, we carry out our projects and activities on a national and international scale within the framework of an integrated communication strategy.
Unquestionably, strengthening the Türkiye brand further is one of our top priorities. In this context, we consider it extremely important that the use of 'Türkiye' as our country's name in the international arena becomes widespread, and we carry out working in this direction. As you know, with the circular signed by our President in 2021, it was decided to use 'Türkiye' as our country's name in the international arena because ‘Türkiye' is a concept that best represents and expresses the culture, civilisation and values of the Turkish nation. We have made considerable efforts towards this objective in coordination with all relevant institutions, most notably our Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and this effort continues."
Stating that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is the issue's most devoted supporter, Director of Communications Altun said that President Erdoğan's will brought this previously failed effort to life.
"We continue to negotiate with global technology companies and media organisations"
Reiterating that, as a result of their initiatives, organisations such as the United Nations, the OECD, and the World Trade Organisation officially recognised the use of "Türkiye", Director of Communications Altun said, "We are glad to see that our international counterparts now refer to our state and country as Türkiye. The United States Board on Geographic Names has recently declared that it will refer to our country as ‘Türkiye’ and revealed its resolution in this regard. Of course, the spread of the correct use of our country's name as 'Türkiye' in foreign languages is possible with the inclusion of global technology companies and media organisations in the process. We continue to negotiate with them in this direction."
Director of Communications Altun urged all international media outlets to refer to the country as Türkiye, which is the most appropriate usage, and said, "Within the framework of the use of 'Türkiye' in the international arena, we organised numerous worldwide communication initiatives. One of the most effective of them was our "Hello Türkiye" campaign, which attracted significant attention on the global stage. In this sense, our Türkiye Book, which we are promoting today, is another essential effort. Our book is a significant resource containing an abundance of information on our country. We believe this project will contribute to Türkiye's brand value. It will also be a leading source in the fight against disinformation and systematic smear campaigns against our country as well as a valuable guide for averting negative campaigns."
"We will keep producing more projects and services for our country"
Director of Communications Altun underlined that the Republic of Türkiye will celebrate its centennial anniversary in 2023, adding that President Erdoğan has offered a significant and all-encompassing vision that identifies 2023 also as the beginning of the Century of Türkiye.
Director of Communications Altun noted that this vision is fundamentally a vision that carries Türkiye into 2053 and 2071 and that it serves to institutionalise the process by treating the country as an effective regional power and global player.
Director of Communications Altun emphasised that under the leadership of President Erdoğan, Türkiye has made significant progress in all areas, particularly the economy, health, justice, education, foreign policy, counter-terrorism, energy, transportation, technology, communication, and the defence industry, adding:
"Without a doubt, these breakthroughs ensured the prosperity, peace, progress, democracy, and of course, security of our nation and reinforced our independence. The ideal of a 'great and powerful Türkiye' was upheld. With these developments, our nation also contributed to regional and global peace and stability. We have also become a central actor. As stated by our President in the introduction of the Türkiye Book, Türkiye is advancing its cause of a “great and powerful Türkiye” along with its ideal that “a fairer world is possible” and setting an example for the world with the “Türkiye models” implemented in fields ranging from humanitarian aid to peace diplomacy.
As stated by our President, 'We will continue to increase our positive contributions to global and regional challenges while widening the doors to peace and cooperation.' Today, the entire world admires our President's conduct of peace diplomacy and his efforts to secure peace amid the Russia-Ukraine war. Due to our geopolitical location, robust infrastructure, strong management, competent human resources, and dynamic economy, we have been able to set ourselves apart from other nations at a time when the entire world is facing challenges, such as the worldwide pandemic and the food and energy crises. During the Century of Türkiye, we will keep raising the well-being of our nation, producing more projects and services for our country, and adding more value with new initiatives. As a stabilising power, we will continue to remain involved in regional and global matters."
"We strive to ensure peace, stability, and justice"
Stating that they attach great importance to telling the true story of Türkiye with its past, present and future in Türkiye and around the world, Director of Communications Altun stated that they shaped the content of the Türkiye Book in this direction.
Reminding that the first chapter of the Türkiye Book, which includes three main headings, includes "History, Constitution, Polity and Social Life," Director of Communications Altun continued:
"As is well known, the Republic of Türkiye has a 2,000-year state tradition, a 1,400-year civilisational body of knowledge, and a 1,000-year history deeply rooted in the Anatolian geography. The Turkish nation has left an indelible mark in diverse geographies, including Asia, Europe, the Balkans, the Middle East, and North Africa, thanks to the value it places on humanity, adherence to justice, tolerant approach, and strong state tradition. The Republic of Türkiye is advancing into the future with the strength it derives from its deep roots and illustrious past. In this regard, Türkiye's current political stability and strong political leadership represent a tremendous opportunity.
Today, in the spirit of unity and solidarity, we strive to ensure peace, stability, and justice in the international community while building a 'Great and Powerful Türkiye.' The leadership of our President is currently our greatest asset and achievement. The expansive diplomatic capacity of our nation also enhances our ability to influence and steer regional and international developments. This ability makes our country a central actor in virtually every global development, whose opinion is asked, whose advice is sought, and whose stance is evaluated."
Recalling that Anatolian geography has hosted various civilisations throughout history, Director of Communications Altun noted that the Turkish nation had succeeded in coexisting harmoniously with various civilisations and said, "The climate of tolerance, where different beliefs, cultures, and traditions coexist in this land, has always been a cultural value. The rich cultural heritage of Anatolia, which shaped our culture, continues to serve as an example for the world."
"Türkiye has grown to be a powerful country that exports billions of dollars’ worth of defence industry annually"
Noting that the second chapter of the book is titled "Türkiye in the World," Director of Communications Altun added:
"In this chapter, besides the effective foreign policy pursued by our country as a global actor, breakthroughs in industry, science, technology and economy, tourism and cultural life, which are the centre of attention of the world, and citizen-centred services of our country are addressed. Türkiye has made tremendous progress in industrialisation, one of the primary drivers of economic development and growth, thanks to its broad product range, strong international connections, and advanced manufacturing industry that bases production on exports. The steps taken in response to the 'national technology move,' which is the industry vision of Türkiye, were crucial to this success. Türkiye has grown to be a powerful country that manufactures its own weapons, tanks, helicopters, ships, and unmanned aerial vehicles and exports billions of dollars’ worth of defence industry annually."
Emphasising that they are well aware that these successes disturb "Türkiye’s opponents," Director of Communications Altun said, "We can also comprehend the hostility and discomfort felt by Türkiye's opponents on a global scale because they are fully aware that the 'Great and Powerful Türkiye' stands in the way of their nefarious international projects. We find it difficult to comprehend why some individuals in Türkiye who claim to be involved in politics feel uncomfortable with our breakthroughs in the defence industry. We are proud of the local and international entrepreneurs who, through the defence industry, make significant contributions to this field. Threats are not taken seriously because we can see from the evaluations that we occasionally face both explicit and implicit threats. We never take these threats seriously and don't pay attention. We want it to be known in that way."
Noting that in addition to all these, Türkiye, which is at the centre of regional energy lines, has vital importance in the energy security of Europe and the world, Director of Communications Altun said, "Moreover, in the context of efforts to lessen our reliance on foreign energy, numerous essential and ground-breaking initiatives have been made, including the generation of our own natural gas and resource diversification. Türkiye's breakthroughs in renewable energy, the electric design of the first domestic automobile, the Zero Waste project conducted under the auspices of First Lady Emine Erdoğan and received an official response from the UN, natural assets under protection, and smart and climate-friendly city projects are the tangible results of our environmentally friendly management approach."
"We should be proud of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of our country"
Stating that the third chapter of the book, titled "Public Services", includes the introduction of exemplary public services offered to citizens, Director of Communications Altun noted that Türkiye's experience is thus intended to be conveyed to both national and international public opinion.
Emphasising that by prioritising its citizens and acting in line with the motto, "Let people live so the state will live!" Türkiye sets an example to the world with its public services, Director of Communications Altun said, "Our country carries the public services it offers with the motto of 'Service to the public is service to the Truth' further with institutions and investments restructured in line with the requirements of the modern world."
Noting that Türkiye, on the other hand, has become a centre of attraction in every field from politics to economy, from culture to tourism, Director of Communications Altun said, "The tangible and intangible cultural heritage of our country is unique in the world, we should be proud of this heritage. In addition to the diversity of nature in Anatolia, the fact that many civilisations blended together in these lands is a concrete indicator of this cultural and geographical richness. Despite the global pandemic, Türkiye's success in ranking first in tourism with 30 million visitors in 2021 demonstrates the power of our infrastructure in the field of tourism. Praise be to Allah; this figure has risen much higher this year."
Stating that the Türkiye Book is a product of the efforts they have exerted as the Presidency's Directorate of Communications to convey the true story of Türkiye and strengthen the Türkiye brand, Director of Communications Altun concluded his speech as:
"There are lots of efforts involved. We are proud of this work, which many of my colleagues, many institutions, and other organisations have contributed to with tremendous effort. This work, which we believe will be among the most significant in terms of promoting Türkiye, was initially published in Turkish and English. Arabic, French, German, and Russian translations will also be published soon. May this work be auspicious for our cultural world, our country and our nation. I would like to thank all my colleagues and institutions who contributed to the development of this valuable work."