Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun sent a video message to the Panel on Crisis Information Management and Public Relations in Natural Disasters and said, "The helping hand extended by the two countries to each other with the idea that 'hard times will always reveal true friends' is extremely valuable."
Beginning his remarks by extending the heartfelt greetings of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Director of Communications Altun indicated that Türkiye is still recovering from the earthquake disaster that occurred on February 6.
Director of Communications Altun stated that on February 6, two massive Kahramanmaraş-centred earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.7 and 7.6 shook our country, and he noted that over 14 million people were impacted by this disaster, which is referred to as the "disaster of the century" due to its severity, impact area, and scale of the damage it produced.
Director of Communications Altun said, "We showed exemplary state-nation solidarity in the face of this massive disaster, which has rarely happened in history. We are overcoming these challenging times thanks to this sense of collective unity that makes the Turkish nation unique and invincible."
Director of Communications Altun stressed that under the direction of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, all of their governmental institutions, organisations, NGOs, and volunteers mobilised right away to help mend the wounds, and added that from the first moments of the disaster, AFAD activated Türkiye's Disaster Response Plan (TAMP).
Indicating that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs used the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) to request foreign aid in search and rescue, Director of Communications Altun continued:
"Türkiye, which has acted as a global leader in humanitarian diplomacy and has never shunned those in need in numerous crisis zones, has seen remarkable international cooperation throughout the disaster of the century. More than 100 nations from around the world offered assistance in response to the call for help. More than 10,000 people from around 90 nations, including Japan, assisted with the search and rescue operations that were conducted in the quake-hit region. The largest rescue operation in history was carried out by this international alliance, with more than 200,000 emergency workers on the ground."
"We fought hard to secure the flow of reliable information and properly inform the public"
Director of Communications Altun pointed out that ideas like crisis communication and countering disinformation came to the forefront in addition to search and rescue activities, and he added that they have learned through this process that, in the event of a crisis, prompt, accurate, and transparent public information is just as important as competent emergency response and efficient assistance organisation.
Director of Communications Altun stated that "unverified social media posts and disinformation-oriented campaigns," as we all know, hamper search and rescue operations and result in fatalities, and said, "Therefore, we fought hard to secure the flow of reliable information and properly inform the public while conducting search and rescue operations." The Directorate of Communications has taken steps to make sure that both domestic and international reporters may provide accurate and effective reporting from the region. We organised the accreditation procedures for national and international press members and offered them a variety of technical facilities for conducting their professional activities on the ground."
Director of Communications Altun said that with the Earthquake Emergency Application, they were able to follow up on and resolve almost 1.7 million direct inquiries from the public for matters like damage assessment, locating missing persons and lost property, and evacuation, and continued:
"With the Disinformation Reporting Service, we protected the news cycle from disinformative content that might spread following a disaster. In order to prevent information pollution, particularly on social media, and to enlighten the public, the Centre for Combating Disinformation, which is part of our Directorate, has produced bulletins and directly interfered with disinformation. Within this scope, we have also exerted significant effort to counter the disinformation, manipulation, and perception management operations of international groups that view disasters and crises as a window of opportunity to attack Türkiye.
Briefly, we have carried out extremely significant projects on crisis communication and public relations in the face of disasters, and as a result, we have gained invaluable knowledge for potential future disasters. To quote our President, we are determined to make Türkiye the most disaster-prepared country in the world, as well as the one that can respond most quickly and effectively to disasters, not only through shared thought but also through shared conscience, morality, and vision."
Presidency's Director of Communications Altun stated that Japan has a rich history of coping with crises and natural disasters and that although the friendly and brotherly country Japan is prone to natural disasters, it is highly advanced in terms of taking precautions against risks.
Director of Communications Altun said that Japan's institutional experience on matters such as "information and communication security, ensuring valid news feed, and countering disinformation" is critical, and continued to add that they believe that the organisation of the panel on "Crisis Information Management and Public Relations in Natural Disasters" in Tokyo is extremely relevant. He said, "I believe that this event will facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experience between the two countries and will serve as a foundation for future collaboration in crisis communication and public relations."
Director of Communications Altun stated that the cordial relations between Türkiye and Japan, which have existed for nearly a century and a half, continue to grow stronger each day, and added:
"We are elated to see this unbreakable bond established following the disaster of Frigate Ertuğrul manifest in all spheres. This bond between the "close" countries of the "far" seas, which has become a beacon of hope for oppressed regions through humanitarian assistance efforts, rests on solid ground. In this regard, the helping hand extended by the two countries to each other in times of crisis with the idea that "hard times will always reveal true friends'" is extremely valuable. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to Japan, which has been there for us since the first day of the earthquake, and the people of Japan, who have provided us with search and rescue teams as well as cash and in-kind assistance."