Presidency’s Head of Communications Fahrettin Altun, in his speech at the “Stratcom Youth’24 Youth and Technology in Global Communication: A New Era, New Dynamics” program organised by our Directorate, said, “While we are working to strengthen our country’s global reputation, we are striving to contribute to the global struggle for justice under the leadership of our esteemed President.”
Stating that they are endeavouring to develop policies on global communication, Head of Communications Altun said, ''When we refer to global communication, we are primarily addressing the interactions, relationships, and message exchanges between individuals, societies, institutions, and states in the international arena. Nevertheless, this relationship, this dialogue that transpires in the international arena, is not an actual and ongoing relationship between equal actors; instead, it is hierarchical. In other words, we are talking about an asymmetrical relationship. On the one hand, there are actors who generate and disseminate messages, while on the other hand, there are broad segments of society who are the recipients and consumers of these messages. On the one hand, there are actors who are vocal and loud, and on the other hand, there are actors, masses, literally silent masses, who are voiceless and silenced."
Emphasising that the global context currently is characterised by a communication regime that legitimises exploitative relations Altun said, "Just as there is an unjust global order before us, there is also a global communication order that supports this system. We are fighting to transition from this unjust communication order to a truly fair communication system. Certainly, on one hand, we are working to strengthen our country’s global reputation and brand value. On the other hand, by promoting a truth-focused communication approach, we are striving to contribute to our country's ongoing global justice struggle under the leadership of our esteemed President.
"Youth play a central role"
Stating that youth play a central role in all the objectives in the Roadmap for the Century of Türkiye Vision, which was released by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the 100th anniversary of the Republic, Head of Communications Altun went on to say:
"Youth are at the heart of the 'Century of Türkiye’ vision. Youth are not objects but rather subjects in the fields of science, development, industry, defence, education, and technology. In both visions of Türkiye, present and future, young people are the founding actors. They are also among the leading actors in Türkiye’s efforts to influence and direct communication processes. Youth guide society in pioneering technological innovations, driving scientific discoveries, and adopting and transforming new technologies. This is primarily due to our youth's confidence, entrepreneurship, and courage.''
Noting that the youth policies implemented by governments led by President Erdoğan after 2002 boosted the youth's self-confidence, entrepreneurial spirit, and courage, leading to the establishment of institutional and cultural environments in this direction, Head of Communications Altun said:
''This situation has been mainly driven by a change in mentality. Unfortunately, for years in this country, a sense of inferiority across society had been instilled in the entire society by saying 'we cannot do it', 'we are falling behind', or 'we are incapable'. A sort of learnt helplessness had been imposed. Thankfully, such psychology has begun to be overcome as Türkiye grows, develops, and innovates, standing out as a prestigious and stabilising power in its region and the world. Today, the technological innovations, discoveries, and advancements spearheaded by Türkiye—and in which our youth play significant roles—are rooted in overcoming this learned helplessness. Although some groups are unable to overcome the psychology of oppression and a sense of learnt helplessness, we see that they are becoming increasingly marginalised."
Pointing out that there has been a change of mentality in the dominant perspective towards the youth in Türkiye over the last 22 years, Head of Communications Altun noted, ''When we examine the history of modern Türkiye, we find that the youth have been treated by different segments of society either as an object of indoctrination with a top-down understanding of modernisation, as the ideological fuel of a social/political movement, or as a component and element of a consumer society and a culture of consumerism. In accordance with these approaches, both hedonism and radicalism are attempted to be associated with the youth.''
''Youth are not the ideological fuel for any political movement''
Declaring that a paradigm in which youth are objectified and viewed as passive consumers in society has no place in the new Türkiye, Head of Communications Altun remarked, ''Youth are the founding actors of society in the new Türkiye. Young people are not cardboard crowds or ideological fuel for any political movement. They are not objects of indoctrination. It is unethical, to say the least, to burden young people with the damages of consumerism culture."
Emphasising that young people are segments of society who should be pioneers in politics, science, technology and every aspect of society, Head of Communications Altun said, "We speak with a paradigm that sees youth as a segment of society who, like other segments of society, work for the greater good and has internalised the value of individuality. The current political resolve, led by our President, promises to support young people at all times and in all circumstances, with the same belief and confidence, and to understand and solve their problems."
"Türkiye crosses critical threshold thanks to national space exploration expeditions"
Stating that the boundary of the vision of Century of Türkiye reached the space homeland, Head of Communications Altun continued:
"Türkiye has crossed a critical threshold this year thanks to the national space exploration expeditions of our astronauts Alper Gezeravcı and Tuva Cihangir Atasever. This significant accomplishment by both of our astronauts fuelled Türkiye's growing interest in the space sector and demonstrated Türkiye's breakthrough in the global space race. Today, space can be used for both civilian and military purposes, and these diversifying purposes have led us to a crossroads. Either we invest in this area, take advantage of the innovations and seize the opportunities, or we continue to rely on other international actors. At this juncture, Türkiye made its decision and chose to 'be a pioneering country that seizes opportunities.'"
Reminding that the Turkish Space Agency was established in 2018 in order to coordinate space studies within this framework, Head of Communications Altun said, "In 2021, our president unveiled the National Space Programme, a framework for national space policy that reflects the strong claims our country has in this field. On the other hand, Türkiye's satellite projects have resulted in significant gains in terms of increasing our country's international competitiveness, developing our domestic and national technology capacity, and becoming a leading actor in defence."
Stating that the national technology move is a gift of young minds to the country, Head of Communications Altun said, "Thanks to our young engineers and young scientists, this move has produced successful results. Türkiye's national technology move is evident in the advancements in unmanned autonomous vehicles, the high technological level achieved in our defence industry, milestones such as the production of our domestic automobile and domestic satellites, and, of course, the project support provided by our institutions, particularly TÜBİTAK, from primary school to doctoral level."
"TEKNOFEST welcomes applications from 1 million 630 thousand competitors this year"
Head of Communications Altun emphasised that the TEKNOFEST brand's reception of 1.63 million applications this year is a concrete indicator of the value the country attaches to future generations. He further said that they were making an effort to build the Türkiye of the 21st century with young people at the heart of the country through science and technology.
Stating that artificial intelligence-based algorithms are currently being implemented in a variety of sectors, including finance, science, politics, and communication Head of Communications Altun said, "While artificial intelligence tools offer new opportunities, they also bring serious challenges with them. Recognising these threats, we are approaching AI technologies with a cautious but bold approach. Accordingly, Türkiye has already established a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy in line with its National Technology Move and Digital Türkiye goals. Within this framework, the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy Action Plan has emerged."
"Our youth are fighting globally against the genocide in Gaza"
Emphasising that young people have genuine attitudes towards the present and future of the country, the region, and humanity, Head of Communications Altun said:
"We saw the same attitude, especially on July 15, 2016. Our youth put up a heroic resistance against the coup attempt disguised as an invasion plan orchestrated by a treacherous terrorist organisation on July 15. Many of our young brothers and sisters were martyred; many of them became veterans. Our youth taught a heavy lesson to the coup plotters and occupiers. Furthermore, today, against the genocide attempts carried out by the Israeli government in Gaza, our youth are fighting not only in our country but also on a global scale. We see how our youth are demonstrating solidarity with the oppressed Palestinians and striving to amplify their voices despite the numerous censorship attempts and obstructions on global communication platforms."
Message of Appreciation from the Head of Communications, Altun
In a social media post following the event, the Head of Communications, Altun, stated:
"We gathered with our young brothers and sisters at the Stratcom Youth'24 event, which was held under the theme 'Youth and Technology in Global Communication: A New Era, New Dynamics.'
While striving to strengthen our country’s global reputation and brand value, we are also working to promote a communication approach based on truth, contributing to the global justice struggle led by our President.
We believe that young people play a pioneering role in this process. For this reason, we are willing to discuss, negotiate, and seek solutions to the inequalities, injustices, and challenges faced in global communication together with our youth. This is why we have organised Stratcom Youth'24.
In both visions of Türkiye, present and future, young people are the founding actors. In our struggle for truth and justice in global communication, we rely on the energy, courage, and entrepreneurial spirit of young people. I want to reaffirm that we are standing together with the youth in this struggle.
I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who contributed to and participated in the 'Stratcom Youth’24: Youth and Technology in Global Communication: A New Era, New Dynamics' event."
