Director of Communications Altun: "At a time when the truth is so distorted and lies and distortions are being propagated, we have endeavoured to tell the truth to both our own people and the global public opinion."
During his address at the event held in the Conference Hall of the Directorate of Communications, Presidency's Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun stated that the event would focus on "Türkiye's Communication Model" and their fight for the truth since the foundation of the Directorate.
Director of Communications Altun stated that they have made significant accomplishments with their strategic communication approach, adding, "However, we still have key objectives and duties to fulfill. We will take bolder actions as Türkiye's power increases and as Türkiye develops, and we will better convey Türkiye's power to our nation through strategic communication channels and methods as well as amplify this reality in the international arena."
Director of Communications Altun noted that displaying a strong national and international communication performance has become a priority for all states and that the Directorate of Communications was established in 2018 together with the Presidential System of Government.
Director of Communications Altun stated, "Through this visionary step, Türkiye's communication has gained an institutional framework, Türkiye's struggle for truth has become deeply rooted, and Türkiye's solid standing in the public sphere as it pursues the truth has been ensured. Throughout this process, we made certain that our nation obtained significant gains as a result of the proactive and integrated efforts we conducted via the extreme capacity built in the communications field."
Director of Communications Altun stated that accordingly, they have prioritised the duty of determining and implementing Türkiye's public communication strategy, adding that this is an extremely important task and that they are exerting all of their efforts to complete it.
Director of Communications Altun went on to say:
"The implementation of the national communication policy framed by our President was one of the important duties entrusted to us, and we have worked diligently to fulfill this responsibility. We were also responsible for ensuring the state's communication and establishing a unified discourse. As I have underlined in all the gatherings we have organised together thus far, a unified state discourse is an indication of the state's power. The lack of unified state discourse leaves states vulnerable to external interventions, which is unacceptable for a powerful state like Türkiye. Our President has adopted an institutionalisation in this direction and delegated this responsibility to our institution, as he values the establishment of a unified state discourse through this approach. In this area, we tried to put forward a strong performance all together. In coordination with all the institutions and organisations of our state, we made efforts to ensure our state's presence before the national and international public in a unity of discourse."
"We have taken steps to strengthen the Türkiye brand"
Director of Communications Altun stated that the tasks of determining the public communication standards of public institutions and organisations and ensuring the coordination of policies and practises related to strategic communication and crisis management were among the important duties of the institution.
Stating that they carried out effective public diplomacy activities all over the world; thus, they explained to the international public Türkiye's thesis and claims, the point it has reached, and what it has achieved as an effective regional power and global player, Director of Communications Altun said, "Additionally, we have taken steps to strengthen the Türkiye brand on this axis. We have implemented them. We have collaborated with many countries in the field of strategic communication. And, as of today, our entire region is harvesting the fruits of these collaborations, and via these collaborations, we are contributing to a better understanding of one another in the global arena."
Noting that they were making great efforts to manage the flow of communication between the nation and the state and to contribute to an effective and competent media, Director of Communications Altun said, "Of course, we have also waged a great fight against systematic disinformation targeting our country and our institutions at home and abroad. This has become an important element of our field of activity. And of course, we have made and continue to make significant efforts in order to assure that the strong and rightful discourse of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is adopted by the national and international public."
Emphasising that they carried out hundreds of activities and works by effectively using all instruments of strategic communication, from publications to symposiums, Director of Communications Altun explained that they were working to direct and coordinate the means and capacity of affiliated institutions TRT, Anadolu Agency and Press Advertisement Agency in line with the national communication policy.
Stating that they were trying to establish an inclusive ecosystem with all partners in communication, from media to academia, Director of Communications Altun continued as follows:
“We made efforts to systematically manage the communication field. We institutionalised all our efforts in this direction with Türkiye's Communication Model. In the same way that we talk about Türkiye's unique economic model, unique defense industry model, unique health system model, and unique humanitarian aid model, we should also talk about our country's unique communication model, of which we are immensely proud. Since the establishment of the Presidency's Directorate of Communications, we have made tremendous efforts to institutionalise Türkiye's communication model. Thanks to these efforts, we are now able to explain Türkiye's communication model to the international community.
"We have said, 'Long live the truth,' and we have united around it."
Director of Communications Altun noted that "truth" is always the guiding principle for all of these endeavours and added:
"Determining a key motto titled 'Long Live the Truth' was the result, and despite such disinformation surrounding this motto and the deluge of disinformation in the international arena, we have said, 'We stand by the truth, we will continue to defend the truth, long live the truth,' and we have united around it. At a time when the truth is so distorted and lies and distortions are being propagated, we have endeavoured to tell the truth to both our own people and the global public opinion. Obviously, we have been the target of a number of direct attacks when we thwarted systematic lies inside and outside the country or when we averted disinformation campaigns, but we have not and will not pay any attention to them."
Director of Communications Altun conveyed his gratitude by stating that they received the most support from President Erdoğan in this struggle, highlighting the fact that they always defend and speak the "truth" with all their strength. Director of Communications Altun stated that they are exerting every effort to ensure that the breakthroughs and developments in every field under President Erdoğan's leadership are also reflected in the field of communication and continued, "This initiative is primarily driven by our President's struggle for truth and justice in Türkiye and around the world."
"Türkiye's Communication Model will be one of the hallmarks of the Century of Türkiye"
Director of Communications Altun said that efforts are being made to amplify Türkiye's voice with the "communication mobilisation" called for by President Erdoğan and added:
"This mobilisation certainly spans a broad spectrum, from combating systematic disinformation to bolstering the Türkiye brand, from managing disaster and crisis communication to conducting public diplomacy activities. Wherever there are lies, disinformation, smear campaigns, terrorist propaganda, digital fascism, media imperialism, or cyberbullying, we will continue to be there to combat it. We will stand against all these malicious practices. We will strive for the creation of a clear, secure, transparent, and democratic communication ecosystem with all our institutional capacity, and we will keep up this struggle. As stated by our President, we will continue to work with all our might to make the Century of Türkiye also the century of communication. We believe Türkiye's Communication Model will be one of the hallmarks of the Century of Türkiye. And we believe Türkiye's Communication Model will be an influential model in this sphere that will leave an imprint on the entire world. We believe that the Türkiye's Communication Model will act as a powerful anchor against the crisis of the truth. We believe that the Türkiye's Communication Model will promote human-centred, clear, and fair communication."
Insisting that their top priority would continue to be upholding and improving Türkiye's reputation at all times and in any circumstances, Director of Communications Altun said, "Because we can now clearly see that having a solid communication background is no longer a choice but rather a strategic move and a necessity. The challenges that our country, region, and world face have taught us the necessity of designing multidimensional mechanisms in which communication must be viewed as a crucial component. For this reason, it is vital to keep taking steps to expand our institutional capacity, strengthen our human resources, and develop our technical and technological infrastructure in accordance with the changing conditions.
Noting that Türkiye recognises the significance of the role played by an institution like the Presidency's Directorate of Communications in the present, Director of Communications Altun said, "Together, we have seen the opportunities and benefits brought about by the institutional capacity we have developed in many dimensions, from the elimination of black propaganda against our nation at home and abroad to the bolstering of state-nation communication through the Presidency's Communication Centre (CİMER), from the struggle against systematic disinformation to the coordination of disaster and crisis communication."
Director of Communications Altun stated that they would continue to uphold and advance the institution they have firmly established.
Book on Türkiye's Communication Model
Director of Communications Altun, who also presented the book Türkiye's Communication Model to the public, said, "Five years in pursuit of the truth" is the subtitle of our book. In essence, this book is a brief, symbolic overview of our work. If our work could fit between two covers, we would require multiple volumes."
Director of Communications Altun stated that he is really glad, pleased, and proud to share the book with the public and that it outlines the Türkiye's Communication Model, which the Directorate of Communications is aiming to establish with all public institutions and organisations.
Director of Communications Altun thanked everyone working at the Presidency's Directorate of Communications for their contributions to these efforts and complimented all his coworkers in the central, provincial, and overseas offices on their successful service.
Kadriye Koçak, an Assistant Expert at the Directorate of Communications, addressed the audience during the event and emphasized the significance of working at the Directorate from her own perspective.
Journalist Yaşar Yavuz, who worked in the region following the earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş on February 6, underlined the efforts of the Directorate of Communications in the region, the facilities it provided to journalists, and the experiences he has had.
The event also featured a video about the Türkiye's Communication Model.
At the conclusion of the event, Director of Communications Altun posed for a picture with journalists from the earthquake region.
