Regarding the Türkiye-Azerbaijan Joint Media Platform, Presidency's Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun said, "If we institutionalise the mechanism properly, we believe that all member states of the Turkic Council, Turkic Republics in Central Asia can contribute to this joint platform. We invite all member states of the Turkic Council to this platform."
Director of Communications Altun briefed journalists on the Türkiye-Azerbaijan Joint Media Platform, the first meeting of which was held as part of the Turkic Council Media Forum, hosted by the Presidency's Directorate of Communications, with the theme of "Deep-rooted Past, Strong Future."
Recalling that they signed the agreement for the Türkiye-Azerbaijan Joint Media Platform at the end of last year in the presence of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, as well as Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan Hikmet Hajiyev, Altun explained that the platform was established through a memorandum of understanding and that its mechanism has been worked on since then.
Stating that they chaired the meeting of the working group formed yesterday with Hajiyev, Altun shared the following:
"This platform is basically a platform through which we institutionalise the cooperation that we have already implemented in practice. First and foremost, we demonstrated and tested the capabilities of such a platform; then, we intended to institutionalise it and build the foundation for it to be passed down from generation to generation. At the working group meeting we held yesterday, first and foremost, we discussed and focused on how we might jointly strengthen our institutional capability. This working group was comprised of representatives from the two countries' leading institutions in the fields of media and communication. We worked on a roadmap to ensure that our institutions have more opportunities to communicate with one another. We focused on concrete projects. We have discussed high-quality projects that can be implemented quickly. In addition to these, we have established committees in 6 areas. Together with these committees, we will have the opportunity to implement more concrete projects in the coming period.”
"During the Karabakh Victory, we demonstrated the power that can be derived from unity"
Stating that each of the working committees’ institutionalisation would be completed until December, Altun said, "We have discussed the country's joint public diplomacy efforts in the context of the joint media platform at the Public Diplomacy Committee. We have planned it and laid out its strategies."
Drawing attention to the strategic communication perspective that the two countries should have, especially in the context of their regional and global roles, at the Strategic Communication Committee as well, Altun stated that they focused on the structuring of communication policies in this direction and discussed the contributions that can be made to both regional and global peace in cooperation.
Altun stated that the Legislation and Regulation Committee, which is important for the survival and institutionalisation of the platform, has been established, saying, "This is an extremely important committee because if we institutionalise this mechanism properly, we believe that all member states of the Turkic Council and Turkic Republics in Central Asia can contribute to this joint platform. Both President Hajiyev and we have been expressed it clearly from the very beginning that this is a joint media platform between Türkiye and Azerbaijan; however, we invite all member states of the Turkic Council to this platform. During the Karabakh Victory, we demonstrated the power that can be derived from unity.”
Stating that the Türkiye-Azerbaijan Joint Media Platform meeting was held on the sidelines of the Turkic Council Media Forum, Altun said, "Here, we have also conveyed this message to the representatives of other countries. In this context, the Legislation and Regulation Committee will perform a critical function."
"We have established a committee to work on ways to combat disinformation”
Altun pointed to the importance of the Digitalization and Internationalization Committee, and added:
"It is because the transformation of the media field with the advent of the new media, and the impact of social media, as a new field, on media, politics, international relations, societies and cultures, is particularly a topic on which we should focus our attention and build new policies. We have established a committee to work on the use of social media and new media platforms as well as ways to combat the threats and disinformation on these platforms against us, our states, and our nation."
Stressing the importance of the Training Committee they have established, Altun said, "This committee will focus on strengthening collaboration between young communication professionals and media and communication professionals, as well as developing higher quality vocational training programs in the media and communication fields to assist them in their career advancement. All of these committees will, inshallah, further boost our efforts.”
"We will make a great effort in the realm of media and communication to achieve this goal"
Providing information about the functioning of the International Media Committee, Altun said:
"We envisage that the international media committee will serve to accurately inform the international media and public opinion, as well as Azerbaijan and Türkiye, on one hand, and to provide information and take rapid action for a strong fight against disinformation on the other. Although we have just begun, our strong institutions have a very frank and sincere interaction. We have strong institutional capacities. When we combine them, we will create a new synergy. We believe in that. The political determination and will of our President and President Ilham Aliyev set a very clear goal for us. We will make a great effort in the realm of media and communication to achieve this goal and to fulfil this duty."
Altun said, “The Karabakh Victory demonstrated yet another thing. When we are united, we win not only on the ground, but also in the realm of communication. This institutional structure will be the most recent manifestation of it. Once again, I would like to reiterate my call: If the Turkic world acts in unity and solidarity, we can counter disinformation about us. We can accurately inform both the global and domestic public opinion. This will mean a real fight against the actors that provoke hostility against the Turkic world and our countries. We can truly use communication as a form of offensive, rather than defense. Within this framework, we will do everything we can to the fullest extent possible.”