"We believe the coming era will be the era of Türkiye if this march continues on its current path. That is because Türkiye really is not like it used to be. Today, this truly great and strong country is not only a game-changer but also a playmaker. Not only is it a haven of stability, but it also acts as a stabilising force."
"While some were crying out 'we are broke', 'we are done’ only a week ago, our President demonstrated a decisive political stance against the interest-based economy, which is one of the fundamental tools of this global exploitation system, by making certain moves and bringing solution in such a way that the rest of the world was astounded. Thus, the determination was shown in respect to how the independent economic model would operate.”
"We will utilise all available technological capabilities and instruments in the sectors of public diplomacy, national and international relations, public relations, strategic communication, and crisis management. We will make a concerted effort to bolster the 'Türkiye' brand from all angles, explaining and engaging it globally. We will work to transform our country into a world power and global actor."
Presidency’s Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun said the coming era would be the era of Türkiye with its great march, and said, "That is because Türkiye is not like it used to be. Today, this truly great and strong country is not only a game-changer but also a playmaker. Not only is it a haven of stability, but it also acts as a stabilising force."
Presidency’s Director of Communications held the Workshop on Strategic Evaluation for the Period 2020-2021 and Vision 2022-2023 and the Workshop on Capacity Building and Perspective.
Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun delivered a speech titled “Türkiye Communication Model: 2023-2053-2071 Vision” at the Workshop on Capacity Building and Perspective.
In his speech, Director of Communications Altun provided information about the activities of the Directorate in the fields of public diplomacy, strategic communication and crisis management, and press and publications, as well as the activities of the Presidency's Communication Centre (CIMER), emphasising the importance of unity in discourse, new generation validation system and crisis management.
Describing the period between 1923-2001 in Türkiye as the “Age of Non-communication” due to the conjuncture, coups and military governments after the World Wars, Director of Communications Altun said the period between 2002-2018 in Türkiye was when “the new language of communication with a focus on service and nation was built.”
Director of Communications Altun emphasised that it was only after 2002 that the government and people truly united in Türkiye and the government began to embrace different segments of society, and he said that Türkiye became a playmaker in the world as of 2018 with the introduction of the Presidential Government System, implying the development of an administrative model suited for Türkiye’s new identity and new role.
Director of Communications Altun indicated that Türkiye witnessed an unprecedented democratisation process between 2002-2018 and said, "Thanks to revolutionary change in many areas, authority was centred on the people rather than tutelage circles and the groups that externally influenced the society. Today, we are talking about a period when the government was chosen by popular vote. The period following 2002 is marked by a people-centred governance model in the history of Türkiye. Our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s political perspective and efforts are at the heart of this transformation.”
"Türkiye plays an active role and maintains order in the regional and international arena"
Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun underlined that on the one hand, there were efforts of institutionalisation in line with the new government system inside the state since 2018, on the other hand, Türkiye began to play an active role and maintain order in the region and international arena, thus changing the game.
Director of Communications Altun highlighted that the Covid-19 pandemic intensified global uncertainty in 2019 and that news consumption increased throughout the pandemic, as well as the spread of fake news and disinformation.
Director of Communications Altun stated that numerous social states failed during the pandemic, and Türkiye, which began to have an influence on global processes due to its stable administration, was intended to be confined.
Director of Communications Altun expressed that numerous issues such as information warfare, digital monopolisation, perception management, cyber security and hybrid threats became more apparent, highlighting the fact that major transformations were taking place in the field of communication in Türkiye.
"Türkiye, an island of stability in the midst of global chaos"
Director of Communications described Türkiye as "an island of stability in the midst of a global chaos" and said, "As a result of these developments, our county has become an island of stability in the midst of global chaos. It did not deviate from its objectives, and moreover, Türkiye developed its own model in foreign policy, healthcare system, humanitarian assistance policy and defence industry. It has worked hard and continues to work hard to apply its own model more efficiently.
Director of Communications Altun indicated that Türkiye set an example in the region and around the world with its global brands and new economic model due to its defence industry, healthcare system, foreign policy and humanitarian assistance.
"Our President astonished the entire globe, while some cried out, 'we are broke,' 'we are done"
Director of Communications Altun underlined that Türkiye, on the other hand, made a decisive move to break the global dependency chain with a new economic model, and said:
"Although our President has explicitly stressed for many years that he opposes the interest-based economy, which is one of the fundamental tools of this global finance capital or you may call it, global exploitation system, he has taken steps to ensure that it becomes an essential component of Türkiye's administration at all costs. I can confidently state that he has ultimately implemented his policy strongly and resolutely despite all corporate resistance mechanisms. While some were crying out 'we are broke', 'we are done' only a few weeks ago, he demonstrated a decisive political stance by making certain moves and bringing solution in such a way that the rest of the world was astounded, and therefore the determination was shown in respect to how the independent economic model would operate. Since 2002, two fundamental elements of our struggle have been economic autonomy, independence, and independence in foreign policy."
Director of Communications Altun reminded that under President Erdoğan's leadership, the strong performance was demonstrated in developing an economic model in line with the interests of independent Türkiye and Turkish society and that new steps would be taken in the coming period and the nation would have more concrete accomplishments.
Türkiye's model in communication
Director of Communications Altun stated that that there was a shift in communication to "Türkiye model" to explain the strong models Türkiye developed, and the development of this model was based on President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's vision of "people-oriented perspective", "sense of justice", "striving to win hearts", "remaining on the path of truth" and "constantly moving forward", and he added that Türkiye's Communication Model would convey the powerful models developed by Türkiye to the rest of the world with accurate, reliable, and timely content.
Director of Communications Altun expressed that communication became the essential component of state administration culture over the past three years, and the Directorate of Communications' main goal is to strengthen the "Türkiye" brand and explain it to the rest of the world using cutting-edge technologies.
Director of Communications Altun emphasised that their top priorities were to strengthen the Türkiye brand, demonstrate Türkiye's power, capabilities, and potential to the world, and announce the country's rightful place in the world, transforming it into a centre of attraction.
"We will establish a Türkiye Brand Office"
Director of Communications Altun highlighted the Presidency's Communication Centre (CİMER), which became the world's largest public communication platform, as one of the most reliable government instruments in the country, providing examples from the Directorate of Communications' activities. Director of Communications Altun stated that CİMER's response time and rate increased to 90 per cent.
Director of Communications Altun stated that they created thousands of bulletins, processed millions of news stories, and integrated tens of media organisations into this system by instantly following developments in Türkiye and the region with the State Information System (DES).
Director of Communications Altun stated that they would work from this day forward to implement the "Is it true?" application, a new generation verification system to "establish a strong communication network from a single centre in crisis management," for an effective fight against disinformation, and announced the establishment of the Türkiye Brand Office, which will work in the field of Türkiye's global brand identity, to strengthen the country's image and brand value, and to realise the strategic communication vision goals.
Pointing out the importance of being a strong focus in crisis management, Director of Communications Altun said, "We have to establish a strong communication network from a single centre. We are making efforts in this regard. Within this framework, we are drafting a policy document."
"Türkiye is not only a game-changer but also a playmaker"
Noting that the Republic of Türkiye will be a century-old in 2023, Director of Communications Altun stated that he believes Türkiye will be the star of the new century globally and said:
"We will work together with this power, acting as one. We will utilise all available technological capabilities and instruments in the sectors of public diplomacy, national and international relations, public relations, strategic communication, and crisis management. We will make a concerted effort to bolster the 'Türkiye' brand from all angles, explaining and engaging it globally. Hopefully, we will go even further together, working to transform our country into a world power and global actor."
Director of Communications Altun stated that he expects all employees to contribute to Türkiye's 100th-anniversary communication campaign:
“This is crystal clear; we believe the coming era will be the era of Türkiye if it continues on its current path. That is because Türkiye really is not like it used to be. Today, this truly great and strong country is not only a game-changer but also a playmaker. Not only is it a haven of stability, but it also acts as a stabilising force. We witness its stabilising effects in a wide variety of countries and international organisations. Therefore, we will explain this new situation to our own public and the rest of the world using all available tools and resources, including, of course, Türkiye's new communication model, and, at this point, we have the most important means, our President's support.”
The workshops were attended by Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) Chairman of the Board of Directors Ahmet Albayrak, TRT Director General Mehmet Zahid Sobacı, Press Advertisement Institution Director General Rıdvan Duran, Anadolu Agency Deputy Director-General and Editor-in-Chief Yusuf Özhan, Deputy Directors, heads of departments, regional and branch managers and employees of the Directorate of Communications as well as local and foreign press members.
The Workshop on Strategic Evaluation for the Period 2020-2021 and Vision 2022-2023 highlighted the Directorate of Communications' institutionalisation journey and discussed topics related to the future of communication.
Subject-matter experts provided training on “Information Security”, “Turkish Media Law, “Considerations for Civil Servants When Using Social Media”, “Protocol”, “Zero Waste-Occupational Safety and Health”, and “Considerations for Public Expenditures” at the Workshop on Capacity Building and Perspective, which was attended by 598 institution personnel and 116 members of the local press.
