Erdoğan wished the summit success and congratulated the Directorate of Communications and the collaborators who supported this important summit.

Erdoğan expressed his belief that the International Strategic Communication Summit, which brings together experts and leaders from the public and private sectors, universities, non-governmental organizations, and the media, will fill an important gap in their field, and he thanked the participants who will contribute to the summit.

“The significance of strategic communication activities is growing by the day”

Erdoğan emphasized that we are living in a time when technological developments are accelerating, and digitalization has a profound impact on social and human life and added:

“The significance of strategic communication activities in this process is growing by the day. We witness lies, fabricated news, and disinformation spread quickly, especially with the proliferation of social media channels. Millions of people's lives have been shattered due to such news spreading through these channels, where there is no effective control mechanism. When it was first introduced, In the face of rising digital fascism and fake news, the world's developed democracies, including ours, are on high alert. Disinformation has now transcended the scope of a national security issue to become a global security issue. In this regard, it is critical to directly inform the public and fight against disinformation and propaganda within the framework of truth. We are seeking to protect our people, particularly the most vulnerable members of our society, from lies and disinformation while respecting our citizens' right to receive accurate and impartial information.”

“Regardless of the global networks that believe they are indisputable, we will continue to pursue an open and clear communication strategy in our struggle. We will not, under any circumstances, allow perception operations to devalue the truth or cover it up with lies.”

Erdoğan stated that they have implemented the necessary legislative and administrative regulations in light of good examples worldwide and explained that they did so relying on the authorities vested by democracy and international law.

President Erdoğan concluded his speech by emphasizing that no one or no company would be above the law, regardless of their financial strength, international position, or claim, and said:

“Regardless of the global networks that believe they are indisputable, we will continue to pursue an open and clear communication strategy in our struggle. We will not, under any circumstances, allow perception operations to devalue the truth or cover it up with lies. So far, we have taken several historic steps in pursuit of this goal. We created a roadmap for our relevant institutions by publishing the National Public Diplomacy Strategy Paper and Action Plan. Hopefully, with the Strategic Communication Policy Paper, which is still in the making, we will be able to take these efforts to the next level. I consider the International Strategic Communication Summit, held for the first time, as another important step in this direction. I believe that the summit will serve as a platform for setting trends in this field and shaping strategic communication activities with its highly experienced participants. I would like to congratulate those who contributed to the organization of the summit and once again greet you with respect. Peace be upon you.” (ILKHA)