In his address at the "2023-2024 Evaluation and Vision Meeting", Presidency's Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun said, "While fighting for the truth, we are also conveying our values, our approaches to global problems and our 'Century of Türkiye' vision to the world."
At the "2023-2024 Evaluation and Vision Meeting," Director of Communications Altun provided information about the activities carried out by the Directorate the previous year and declared its targets for the upcoming period.
Emphasising that the Presidency's Directorate of Communications undertakes critical missions such as determining, implementing and coordinating strategic communication and crisis management policies, Director of Communications Altun stated that implementing the national communication policy in line with the priorities of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, ensuring the coordination of official communication and ensuring unity of discourse are also among its missions.
Noting that defining the standard for public communication among public institutions and conducting public diplomacy activities in all fields concerning Türkiye also falls within their scope of duties, Director of Communications Altun highlighted that they are working for the establishment of state-nation unity by employing all means of communication.
Highlighting that they have adopted the principles of transparency, truth, conscience and innovation in the activities of the Directorate, Director of Communications Altun said, "By contributing to the establishment of an accurate, effective and qualified media ecosystem, combating disinformation and strengthening the Türkiye brand are among the main objectives of our Directorate."
"We are fighting for truth"
Stating that they place the utmost importance on safeguarding the public and society from the threats posed by digital media, Director of Communications Altun said, "No one is our enemy; however, we are fighting for truth. Each and every one of us is striving for the Century of Türkiye to be the 'Century of Communication'.
Noting that the Directorate plays a critical role in the implementation of communication strategies with its experts in the headquarters and regional directorates, Director of Communications Altun stated that Türkiye's voice is heard in the international arena and that global dialogues are established through the offices of its communication counsellors across the world.
Director of Communications Altun said, "We convey our values, rich history, achievements, political stance, approaches to global problems and our 'Century of Türkiye' vision to the world through an integrated communication strategy."
Stating that they employ public diplomacy instruments effectively in this regard, Director of Communications Altun said, "Conveying Türkiye's perspectives on global and regional issues to the whole world in a precise and transparent manner is one of the primary objectives of our public diplomacy activities."
Director of Communications Altun stated that in this context, they held important programmes throughout the year, including the STRATCOM Summit with the theme of "Global Response to Hybrid Threats: Stability, Security, Solidarity," the 12th session of the Islamic Conference of Information Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the 5th Meeting of the Ministers and High Officials in Charge of Media and Information of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS), the Istanbul Security Forum, and "The World is Bigger than Five: United Nations (UN) Security Council Reform."
"We are exerting efforts to strengthen bilateral and multilateral relations"
Pointing out that they are exerting efforts to strengthen the Türkiye brand, enhance Türkiye's prestige in the global arena, and ensure that it attains the position it deserves, Director of Communications Altun stated that the Directorate plays an effective role in every period whenever Türkiye requires strategic communication.
Emphasising that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's initiatives in the context of leader-to-leader diplomacy were at the top of their endeavours, Director of Communications Altun said, "We are exerting efforts to strengthen bilateral and multilateral relations in order to convey our President's messages, policies, vision, and efforts to find a solution to international crises directly to his addressees and the communities. Our country, under the leadership of our President, has contributed to global peace as a guarantor country in the establishment of the 'Peace and Grain Corridor' mechanism amid the Russia-Ukraine war, which has remained unresolved with partisan attitudes from the international community.
Effective fight against disinformation
Underscoring that the fight against disinformation was of vital importance not only in terms of information security but also in the safeguarding of democratic processes and social solidarity, Director of Communications Altun said that they witnessed that disinformation could be used as an effective black propaganda tool, particularly during the February 6 earthquakes, election processes and Israel's inhumane actions in Gaza.
Director of Communications Altun recalled that they have taken significant steps in the fight against disinformation and established the Centre for Combating Disinformation, and noted that this Centre plays a strategic role in the fight against disinformation and helps protect and spread accurate information.
Stating that they demonstrated a proactive and strategic approach in crisis management with rapid and effective actions following the earthquakes that affected 11 provinces and centred in Kahramanmaraş, Director of Communications Altun stated that they activated the "CİMER Earthquake Emergency" feature in order to ensure the flow of accurate information from the first moment and combat disinformation.
Director of Communications Altun noted that they have taken significant steps to increase solidarity and awareness at national and international levels with the "Let My Home Be Your Home" campaign, the "Disaster of the Century" documentary, the "360 Degree Awareness Campaign," the "Solidarity of the Century" book, the programmes organised and various exhibitions and panels held abroad.
"Our country was also subjected to an intense disinformation raid during this period"
Pointing out that Türkiye experienced an extremely important election process last year, Director of Communications Altun stated that the country came out of this process successfully, in accordance with its democratic tradition.
Director of Communications Altun stated that accurate and precise information was of vital importance in election processes in order for elections to be held in a fair and transparent manner in democracies and for the full manifestation of the will of the nation, and said:
"If the elections are held in a fair and transparent manner, the will of the nation will be manifested. In this respect, we took an approach that did not allow our nation's will to be impeded at any moment during the election process and actively fought against disinformation. Because disinformation, lies, distortion, perception management operations and manipulations are essentially elements that inhibit the free will and political choices of our citizens and affect them negatively.
We have made an intense effort to contribute to the construction of an ideal election environment. In this regard, we exerted efforts to fulfil this duty properly in the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections. The election was not just a race between rival candidates. Our country was also subjected to an intense disinformation raid during this period."
"We will also fight against disinformation attacks in municipal elections"
Director of Communications Altun pointed out that this misinformation campaign was not only carried out by some anonymous accounts operating on social media but also by local and international media outlets and continued:
"During the 2023 elections, we witnessed systematic disinformation campaigns by Western media, to the extent that they attempted to intervene in Turkish democracy. We made every effort to thwart these foreign campaigns of black propaganda and meddling in Türkiye's democratic process. We put a great deal of effort into this.
We also countered disinformation campaigns on conventional and social media platforms at home, fostering an environment of impartial, transparent, and truthful communication. As a matter of fact, this is our duty, as stipulated in our legislation. Hopefully, we will fulfil this duty in the upcoming elections and municipal elections, and we will combat disinformation attacks that seek to undermine our citizens' right to free will. We will serve for democracy, the national will, and Türkiye's survival by uncovering lies, presenting the truth, and promptly informing the public of the truth."
"We are committed to speaking up for Gaza's innocent people"
Director of Communications Altun highlighted Israel's attacks on Gaza and the humanitarian tragedy in Palestine, stating that the Directorate places great importance on this issue.
Director of Communications Altun said that since October 7, they have seen firsthand how powerful disinformation can be used as black propaganda to justify Israel's brutal actions in Gaza, and continued as follows:
"To put a halt to the carnage and tragedy in Gaza, we, as the Directorate, have revealed and will continue to unveil the black propaganda and disinformation techniques utilised by Israel in this context one by one. Whatever techniques the perpetrators employ to conceal their terrible crimes, we will draw the attention of the international community to them. Against this backdrop, the Directorate of Communications has been fighting hard since October 7 to draw the world's attention to the facts of the Gaza conflict. As part of this effort, we coordinate the members of the press in the region and raise awareness of Israel's crimes against humanity among national and worldwide audiences.
We have supported the 'United for Peace in Palestine' initiative and the 'Bulletproof Dreams: Gaza Child Artists Exhibition', both hosted by First Lady Emine Erdoğan, to raise awareness of the tragedy and show solidarity with the Palestinian people. The book "Türkiye's Peace Diplomacy for the Just Cause of Occupied Palestine" describes Türkiye's peaceful and just stance on this issue.
Director of Communications Altun stated that also last week they organised the "The Media's Struggle for Truth in the Gaza War: Violence, Disinformation, Censorship" Symposium and said, "These efforts clearly demonstrate our stance as Türkiye against inhumane acts and show that we are committed to speaking up for Gaza's innocent people. This is more than just a communication strategy; it is also a struggle for human dignity and fairness."
"The Century of Türkiye heralds a new era"
Referring to the activities carried out by the Presidency's Directorate of Communications on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Republic, Director of Communications Altun said, "For us, the 100th anniversary of our Republic marks a significant moment in history and signals the start of a new era for Türkiye."
Stating that the Century of Türkiye heralds a new era in which Türkiye will enhance its impact on the international stage as a global actor, Director of Communications Altun said, "As we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye, we not only reflected on the past through commemorative events but also collectively embraced this honour collectively as a regional power and global player."
Stating that they celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Republic with great enthusiasm by altering the official, cold and mechanical celebration format that failed to connect with the general public, Director of Communications Altun continued his remarks as follows:
"We made sure that all citizens enthusiastically took part in the celebrations, creating a joyful atmosphere. We implemented a year-round plan that focused on our nation and encouraged active involvement from everyone. Therefore, we have effectively communicated through various platforms that the 100th anniversary of the Republic is not merely a one-time celebration but rather the outcome of numerous years of hard work and vision. Within the scope of the activities coordinated by the Presidency's Directorate of Communications for 2 years to celebrate the 100th anniversary of our Republic, over 24 thousand projects were carried out in Türkiye and in our representative offices abroad. These projects were introduced to our nation as a reflection of the vision of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan."
"CIMER received over 7 million, 600 thousand applications"
Referring to the activities of CIMER, Director of Communications Altun said, "CIMER received and responded to over 7 million 600 thousand applications in 2023 alone. In addition to serving as a means of communication, CIMER is a tangible manifestation of the cohesion within our state and nation. It is an important task for us to further promote this successful model on a global scale and showcase Türkiye's democratic and transparent governance approach in the international arena."
Stating that they announced the struggle against FETÖ, PKK and other bloody terrorist organisations to the world through all channels of communication, Director of Communications Altun said, "Especially after the July 15th treacherous coup attempt, it is of utmost liability for us to explain the process correctly and convey it to future generations correctly."
"We have released many publications"
Emphasising that the Presidency's Directorate of Communications has contributed to the formation of an effective media environment with many steps, such as improving the working conditions of members of the press and supporting sectoral innovations, Director of Communications Altun said, "We take this public responsibility very seriously and are working to create an effective, responsible and ethical media ecosystem not only at the national level but also on an international scale."
Stating that the activities carried out by the Presidency's Directorate of Communications in the field of media and communication are spread over a wide range within the scope of digital media and state information system, Director of Communications Altun noted that works such as the book set "Those Who Run With Passion Never Get Tired", the report titled "Israel Palestine Conflict: High-Level Statements from Countries", the book "Solidarity of the Century", the promotional book ''Türkiye", the book "Leader of the Century of Türkiye", the book "The Truth Behind the Palestinian Cause: Combating Discrimination, Hypocrisy, and Double Standards", the book "The Shining Star of the 21st Century: Organisation of Turkic States", and "May 14: Two Elections in the History of the Republic" provide in-depth information on important issues of Türkiye and the world.
Referring to the work of the Anadolu Agency (AA), Press Advertisement Agency (BİK) and TRT, which are affiliated and associated organisations of the Directorate, Director of Communications Altun stated that the visuals and news reports from TRT and the Anadolu Agency documenting the massacre in Gaza are closely followed by the international public and are used as evidence in the trial of Israel in the International Court of Justice.
"As the Directorate of Communications, we will keep supporting such publications and conveying Türkiye's story to the world," Altun declared.
''We will keep becoming more internationalised''
As for the Directorate's 2024 goals, Altun stated, "As the Presidency's Directorate of Communications, we will keep becoming more internationalised in the upcoming period."
Director of Communications Altun continued:
"Our organisation abroad certainly bears substantial obligations in this respect as well. We will significantly improve the effectiveness and proactivity of our offices of communication counsellors abroad. Our lobbying activities and diaspora are another focus of attention in the context of internationalisation. As a further goal, we will keep striving to improve the professional qualifications of all members of the press and citizens, regardless of age, employed in our country's media sector.
One of our most important goals in this regard is to elevate our organisations, like the Directorate of Communications, AA, TRT, and BİK, to a competitive position on a global scale through the exceptional work that they have done and will continue to do both in the field, on the internet and digital media, and in the field of conventional media."
''One of the other advancements that we can address in this area is strengthening CİMER with artificial intelligence software,'' Altun stated, expressing their appreciation for institutions playing a trailblazing role in the field of media technologies and continued as follows: "We will continue these within the framework of our plans and programmes. AA and TRT also have many new initiatives and investments in automation and information technologies. We will continue to develop the confirmation lines developed by AA and TRT's ground-breaking, innovative initiatives on digital platforms.''
Director of Communications Altun declared that they will continue to deepen their cooperation with Turkic states, Islamic countries, and Africa and offer the "know-how" of Türkiye's Communication Model to the benefit of different stakeholders.
Altun concluded his remarks by saying:
"The Century of Türkiye is a vision that places great importance on international cooperation across a wide range of fields and has extremely significant aspirations for the establishment of a global climate of stability and justice. We will contribute to the globalisation of this vision in line with the model we have adopted. These goals will consolidate Türkiye's standing as a global leader in communications and provide a solid foundation for the future."
