In his speech at the "Symposium on Türkiye's Communication Model in the Sixth Year of the Presidency's Directorate of Communications," Head of Communications Fahrettin Altun said, "In building Türkiye's communication model, we were inspired by Türkiye's historic role on the global stage, as well as the political style of our President, who leads this role."
Head of Communications Altun stated that the Directorate represented one of the key institutional innovations brought about by the administrative and political changes introduced by the Presidential System of Government, which was established following the 2017 referendum.
Altun pointed out that the Directorate exemplified President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visionary leadership, noting his recognition of the crucial role of effective information flow in state administration and his understanding that the current era is one of communication, which he incorporates into his governance philosophy.
Altun stated that the history of CIMER (Presidency's Communication Centre), which operates under the Directorate and consistently receives international awards in public relations, offering the world a significant example of participatory democracy in practice, dates back to BIMER (Prime Ministry Communication Centre), introduced when President Erdoğan was Prime Minister and even to the 'White Desk' founded during his term as Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
Pointing out that the Presidency's Directorate of Communications is engaged in a struggle for truth under the leadership of Erdoğan against the substitution of falsehood for truth, the Head of Communications, Altun, said:
"Our Directorate endeavours to inform the public by adhering to accuracy and transparency, to strengthen the communication bridge between the state and the nation, and to explain the just struggle of our country in the international arena. Depending on these needs, we continue to work in many areas with all our departments, coordination offices, regional directorates, and offices of communication counsellors abroad with the same enthusiasm as on the first day and full dedication."
"Türkiye Communication Model is a fortress defending the shining light of truth"
Emphasising that the most important achievement made by the Directorate in the past 6 years was the Türkiye Communication Model, Head of Communications Altun said:
"The Türkiye Communication Model is an innovative and proactive communication strategy that takes into account our country's potential in almost every field, from economy to culture and arts, foreign policy to tourism, industry and technology to education, using a 360-degree communication approach. The Türkiye Communication Model is also an approach that incorporates a very strong, principled stance and attitude. While developing this model, we have embraced the principle of standing up for truth, justice, and fairness, not only for the common good of our country but also for the common good of all humanity. In doing so, we were inspired by Türkiye's historic role on the global stage as well as the political style of our President, who leads this role."
Stating that the Türkiye Communication Model was not only an institutional change but also a symbol of a nation's awakening, Head of Communications Altun said, "In the post-truth era, the Türkiye Communication Model is like a fortress, defending the shining light of truth from the full power of lies and disinformation."
Emphasising that the Türkiye Communication Model was characterised by its unwavering commitment to serving as the nation's voice, Head of Communications Altun continued:
"We always prioritise the values, beliefs, expectations and sensitivities of the nation. The Türkiye Communication Model is more than just a communication strategy; it reflects New Türkiye's vision, dynamism, and ambition for global leadership. This model will strengthen Türkiye's rise in the field of communication and propel our country to its rightful place as a leader in the century of communication."
"There is a Türkiye that is taking firm steps towards its goals"
Remarking that Türkiye continues on its way on the international stage with strength, honour, dynamism, and openness, Head of Communications Altun continued:
"We no longer have a withdrawn Türkiye that is trapped in its internal contradictions. On the international stage, we now have a strong, honourable, dynamic, and open Türkiye. There is now a Türkiye that derives its power from its nation, taking firm steps towards its goals. There is a Türkiye that claims its own values and does not remain mute vis-à-vis injustice, which has become the voice of the oppressed and the victimised. This new, strong Türkiye is taking on a historic role as the world's guarantor of both stability and peace."
Head of Communications Altun underscored the significance of a visionary, democratic, and human-centred institutional system with robust communication, saying the following:
"With the duty entrusted to us by our President, we not only assert that the Century of Türkiye is at the same time a century of communication, but we also substantiate this assertion with our efforts. Praise be to Allah; we are now reaping the rewards of the work we have done over the past six years. Data from the 'Global Soft Power Index 2024' by Brand Finance, the international brand valuation organisation, is just one indicator of the return on our efforts.
According to the data, Türkiye moved up 10 spots in the field of media and communication compared to the previous year, ranking 18th among 193 countries. Likewise, over the last four years, we have been the second country to make the greatest progress in important areas that define soft power, including the categories of ‘influence’ and ‘reputation’. Türkiye ranked among the top 10 in the index's 'culture and heritage' category, which serves as the foundation for our cultural diplomacy efforts."
"TRT and Anadolu Agency have started to show up in the international arena"
Head of Communications Altun affirmed that TRT and Anadolu Agency started to show up in the international arena thanks to the efforts undertaken under the framework of the Türkiye Communication Model and said:
"TRT was unanimously elected as the Chair of the News Group during the election held last week in the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, the world's largest broadcasting organisation with 240 members from 65 countries. The presidential elections for the 60th General Assembly Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union were held in November last year, and the TRT Director General was elected president. Anadolu Agency, on the other hand, played a leading role in the establishment of the Alliance of Turkic News Agencies last year."
Head of Communications Altun stated that TRT, Anadolu Agency, Press Advertisement Agency, and other media outlets are among the key stakeholders in the Türkiye Communication Model through their national and international projects, broadcasts and publications.
Head of Communications Altun stated that the globe is currently confronted with an environment of injustice and that the Western colonial system and the Western collaboration mechanisms that feed it are the basis of this injustice.
Head of Communications Altun said that Türkiye stands by the oppressed and the victimised against this unjust system and is waging a struggle for rights and justice under the leadership of President Erdoğan.
"We will continue to be the voice of the oppressed"
Head of Communications Altun emphasised that Türkiye will not tolerate injustice, unfairness, and tutelage not only in politics, the economy, and the defence sector but also in the realm of communication and will be the loudest voice of truth, saying, "We will continue to be the voice of our nation and all the oppressed in this just cause by combating disinformation and announcing the truth to the entire world."
Head of Communications Altun noted that they have a sacred mission to be the defenders of the truth for the oppressed regarding the genocide in Gaza and said:
"You will recall that right after October 7, the entire world, particularly Western actors, rushed to support Israel. Under the leadership of our President, Türkiye was the country that announced to the entire world that Israel was committing several war crimes, seeking genocide, and attempting to deceive the world. Since October 7, the Directorate of Communications has taken significant measures to counteract Israel's disinformation tactics aimed at paralysing the reflexes and conscience of the world community."
Stating that the struggle for truth in the international arena has also been covered by many global media outlets, Head of Communications Altun said that they promptly exposed the lies and perception management operations that Israel employed to justify its massacres, putting Israel and the international actors who supported it in a precarious position.
Pointing out the genocidal character of Israel, of which, at the current situation, the majority of the world is explicitly aware, Head of Communications Altun said, "The events in Gaza have demonstrated that we regard, plan, and execute the Türkiye Communication Model as an essential component of Türkiye's stabilising role in regional and global issues, in addition to our own."
Touching on the activities carried out by the Presidency's Directorate of Communications in six years, Head of Communications Altun shared the following:
"We organised approximately 600 panels, symposiums, and conferences within these six years. We printed 622 works for the public and 10,697 in-service printed works for state institutions. We held 1081 innovative communication projects and organised State Incentives Promotion Days in 27 provinces. We implemented twenty-two 360-degree communication campaigns and 55 international press tours, set up press centres in crisis management centres. We held 15 national and 96 international events. We produced 181 documentaries and films. In addition to 14 comprehensive exhibitions, we organised 116 training programmes. To top it off, we completed numerous qualified works and projects in collaboration with our media, NGOs, and universities."
Head of Communications Altun expressed that through documentaries, reference publications, conferences and meetings they have prepared in the field of international security and the fight against terrorism, they helped both the interlocutors and the global public understand Türkiye's stance and policies against these matters, and that in this framework, they organised İstanbul Security Forum with the attendance of 63 speakers from 21 countries in 2023.
"Importance of the fight against FETO"
Calling to mind that they produced the documentary "Network" to alert and raise awareness among the global community against the threat posed by the international terrorist organisation FETO, Head of Communications Altun noted:
"The publications and digital content we have prepared to show the importance of the fight against FETO and the dark side of FETO to the entire world, as well as video content and informative publications explaining that the PKK/YPG terrorist organisation is a major threat to regional and global security, are prominent examples in this regard. In addition, we meticulously coordinate the national and international events organised to mark July 15th, Democracy and National Unity Day, every year."
Head of Communications Altun stated that, as the Presidency's Directorate of Communications, they brought Türkiye's approach of prioritising regional and global peace to the attention of foreign public opinion through various events, saying:
"We have published numerous books and hosted various panels and conferences on regional and global issues such as the pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine War, the grain crisis, irregular migration, xenophobia, and UN reform. In addition to taking steps to address international issues, we have organised a number of events and projects to promote Türkiye's values around the world. The traditional Turkish Day Parade in New York, which was organised for the 41st time this year, and the Türkiye Nation Branding Forum in 2022 are just a few examples. With all of these efforts, we believe we have significantly contributed to our country's experience and knowledge in the field of public diplomacy during the previous six years, and we are quite pleased with this."
Events organised by the Presidency's Directorate of Communications
Altun emphasised that since the Directorate's inception, they have worked to strengthen Türkiye's acquis and increase its expertise not only in public diplomacy but also in strategic communication and crisis communication. Altun noted:
"In 2021, we conducted a workshop on the National Strategic Communication Policy Document in response to the growing significance of strategic communication. We have been hosting Stratcom, a major global summit, every year since 2020. I am extremely delighted to say that the Stratcom Summit has now become an international brand that convenes experts from around the world to deliberate on contemporary global issues. We have gained a deeper understanding of the value of the knowledge and experience we have acquired through these activities in times of crisis. Our efforts during the Disaster of the Century, which had a direct impact on 15 million people across 11 provinces, are the most recent examples of our commitment.
The Head of Communications, Altun, stated that following the earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, they promptly initiated inter-institutional communication coordination. The aim was to provide support for the search and rescue operations and to address the needs of the affected citizens. Altun also highlighted their success in countering systematic and widespread disinformation attempts during this critical period.
Underlining the significance they place on combating disinformation, Altun emphasised that they have taken effective and decisive measures in this area, particularly through the Türkiye Communication Model. Head of Communications Altun went on to say:
"This is precisely the reason we established our Centre for Combating Disinformation during this six-year period, which operates around the clock. Since its establishment, we have refuted thousands of disinformation campaigns through documents. We have exposed attempts to manipulate public opinion through Disinformation Bulletins. We have released numerous Special Disinformation Bulletins on several issues, such as the disaster of the century, Palestine, the Gaza crisis, irregular migration, and other related topics. We have also made it a priority to raise public awareness on this issue through various reference publications, including The Psychology of Disinformation and the Guide on Countering Disinformation, and by organising events like the Workshop on Countering Disinformation.
We are committed to our vision of becoming a pioneer and trailblazer country in combating disinformation, drawing inspiration from our President's unwavering dedication to truth. This is why we pay great attention to using evolving technologies in this fight, such as artificial intelligence. Indeed, numerous countries and international associations worldwide have begun to view our country's efforts in combating disinformation as a model and are drawing insights from our experience."
"Growing monopolisation has now reached a global threat level"
Head of Communications Altun also drew attention to an important issue in the realm of communication and information:
"On Friday last week, we faced a problem that affected the whole world. A faulty update by a cybersecurity firm caused life to come to a standstill in various sectors, including air traffic and banking transactions, even if only for a short time. This brief yet widespread chaos, affecting nearly the entire world, underscores the growing monopolisation of communication and information technologies, which has now reached a global threat level.
The Head of Communications, Fahrettin Altun, highlighted the increasing digitalisation in all aspects of life. He emphasised that forcing all of humanity into a single option is no longer acceptable, stating, "We need alternatives that prioritise the benefit of all humanity against the digital dictatorship built by a handful of profit-driven technology companies, social media platforms, algorithms, and search engines. Therefore, it is essential to both globally enhance digital literacy and boost domestic and national technological capacities."
The Head of Communications, Altun, noted that the Directorate of Communications has organised numerous training programmes, particularly in the areas of new media and digital literacy. He further stated that they have launched publications such as the Guide on the Use of Social Media and the Social Media Glossary.
"We will continue to fight for our rights against colonial structures"
The Head of Communications, Altun, also highlighted the broadcasting activities carried out under the Türkiye's Communication Model over the past six years.
He mentioned that the Directorate of Communication has published 132 reference materials with ISBNs to date as part of their publishing activities. He further stated that they have also published 16 issues of the "Ayın Tarihi" (History of the Month) and Communication and Diplomacy journals. These publications have been made accessible to the international public in multiple languages, in addition to Turkish.
Wishing the symposium to be fruitful, the Head of Communications Altun concluded, "As we have done in the past, we will continue to work diligently for our country and nation, striving, producing, adding value, generating positive results, signing off on good projects, and fighting for rights and justice in the sphere of communication against colonial systems."
