The Disinformation Bulletin, prepared by the Directorate of Communications for the period from December 26, 2022 to January 1, 2023, included headlines such as "Turkish Army withdraws from Zap region," "Allegations concerning the Reliability of Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT) Data" and the claims regarding "natural gas and oil discoveries".
The bulletin highlighted that the media outlets' allegation that the "Turkish Army withdraws from Zap region" is false.
In the bulletin, it was emphasised that the Turkish Armed Forces' (TAF) fight against terrorism in the Zap region, which is located in the zone of Operation Claw-Lock, is maintained with vigour and that the TAF's fight against the terrorist organisation PKK in northern Iraq continues in cooperation with Iraq.
The bulletin indicated that, as part of these operations, 506 terrorists were neutralised in the Operation Claw-Lock zone in 2022, as well as almost 2,000 mines/improvised explosives and nearly 600 caves, shelters, and tunnels were destroyed. It was emphasised that the organisation suffered heavy blows as a result of operations conducted in all types of terrain and weather conditions in a 200-kilometre-deep zone that included Qandil, Asos, Sinjar, and Makhmour.
The claims regarding "natural gas and oil discoveries"
The bulletin revealed that the news articles with the headline "We've been discovering the same gas and oil for years" that appeared in several media outlets and were shared on social media also contained disinformation.
The bulletin reminded readers that the 58 billion cubic metres of natural gas announced as wonderful news by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on December 26, 2022, were discovered at the Çaycuma-1 well in the Sakarya gas field in the Black Sea, and added:
"The natural gas discoveries that President Erdoğan previously hailed as wonderful news were those made in the Tuna-1 well and the Amasra-1 well in the Sakarya gas field in the Black Sea region. The discovery of 320 billion cubic metres of natural gas in the Tuna-1 well was made public for the first time in August 2020. The discovery of natural gas in this well grew from 320 to 405 billion cubic metres, as revealed in October 2020. A 135 billion cubic metre discovery was made in the Amasra-1 well, which was announced in June 2021. At the Cabinet Meeting on December 26, 2022, President Erdoğan announced to the public the good news of the recent discovery of 58 billion cubic metres in the Çaycuma-1 well. The discovery of 150 million barrels of oil in the Martyr Esma Çevik well in Gabar was also announced by President Erdoğan. The 710 billion cubic metres of natural gas that Türkiye has discovered are currently worth about 1 trillion dollars on the market."
"Perceived inflation is changing"
The bulletin further stated that the assertion "inflation data are disclosed below reality" is untrue.
The bulletin highlighted that, in accordance with the principles of professional independence, transparency, impartiality, and accuracy, the statistics generated by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT) are calculated using the methods, definitions, and concepts established by the European Union Statistical Office (Eurostat) and other pertinent international organisations. It was emphasised that the Consumer Price Index does not represent the cost of living but instead the change in a set basket of goods and services across time, and the following was noted:
"Perceived inflation is measured by asking the same questions to many consumers worldwide through Consumer Tendency Surveys. The perceived inflation varies from person to person, depending on income and consumption habits. Statistical data indicate that there has always been a difference between perceived inflation and announced inflation. According to research by the European Central Bank covering the years 2005 to 2015, the perceived inflation was almost five times higher than the announced inflation. According to research conducted in Türkiye over the same period, the inflation that the citizens actually perceive is twice as high as that which is officially announced."