Fahrettin Altun sent a letter to the Information Ministers of the Islamic Cooperation Organisation (OIC) member states regarding the devastating earthquakes that struck Türkiye and the country's efforts to inform the public correctly and fight disinformation.

In the letter written in his capacity as the Chairperson of the 12th Session of the Islamic Conference of Information Ministers of the OIC, Director of Communications Altun stated that Türkiye is in the midst of one of the world's and its region's worst disasters and that the Turkish people are experiencing extremely difficult times.

Altun emphasised that the two earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.7 and 7.6 that struck Kahramanmaraş have no precedent in the world and stated that these two tragic earthquakes caused great destruction in 10 provinces in a wide area where approximately 13.5 million citizens live.

Altun noted that because of the devastating earthquakes that struck Türkiye, a seven-day national mourning period was declared, adding that a state of emergency was also declared for three months, covering ten provinces within the earthquake area, in accordance with Article 119 of our Constitution.

“Efforts will continue until all of our citizens have been reached”

Fahrettin Altun's letter continued as follows: During such a historic crisis, our government and people were fully mobilized. All relevant institutions and organizations in our state are still working under the coordination of the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) under the leadership of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Search and rescue operations in the area were immediately launched. Our state mobilized all of its resources to assist our citizens in the disaster area. Despite the second major earthquake that struck about nine hours later and the harsh winter conditions, search and rescue efforts continue in the disaster regions. Our efforts, conducted with a spirit of mobilization, will continue until all of our citizens have been reached. A total of 113,318 personnel and volunteers from various institutions and non-governmental organizations are involved in disaster response activities, with 24,727 of them being search and rescue personnel.

Call for assistance in the fight against disinformation

Altun emphasized that the Directorate of Communications of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye has been working in collaboration and harmony with the relevant institutions in order to properly inform the public and establish a unity of discourse in terms of the crisis communication aspect of Türkiye's Communication Model.

Altun stated that the Directorate of Communication maintains a continuous communication process with all relevant institutions and organizations, particularly the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Health, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, AFAD, Red Crescent, Turkish Radio and Television Corporation, Anadolu Agency, and social aid associations, and added, “In this context, we are also fighting against disinformation, manipulation and perception operations of those who see disaster and crisis processes as an opportunity to attack Türkiye.”

Altun stated that with the “Disinformation Reporting Service” prepared as a mobile application, they are on vigilance against such attempts, as well as uninterrupted information activities to ensure accurate and regular information flow to the national and international press, and said, “In this context, we will be grateful for the support of the Ministers of Information of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in our efforts to combat disinformation and inform the public. We believe that your assistance will be an important symbol of the Islamic world's solidarity and unity during these trying times.”

“Earthquake Emergency” in CIMER system

Altun emphasized that they made every effort to use all the opportunities and capabilities of the public relations discipline while combating disinformation during the disaster.

Altun stated that the “Earthquake Emergency” heading had been prepared for use in the Presidency's Communication Centre (CIMER) system operating under the Directorate in order to respond quickly to the information requests of the people and that those who were unable to contact their relatives due to the earthquake could report and request information through CIMER.

“94 countries offered assistance”

Altun stressed that a level four alarm was declared in the earthquake in accordance with Türkiye's Disaster Response Plan, which is open to international assistance, and noted the following:

“94 countries offered assistance during this terrible disaster. We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all our friends who stood by our country, particularly the heads of state and government of all member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, who expressed their support and offered assistance on this difficult day for our country. Similarly, the support of the Islamic world is extremely valuable because it provides us with morale and strength.

As our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has stated, we will emerge from this disaster even stronger in unity and solidarity. Our country, which has overcome many challenges thus far, will overcome this great disaster in a spirit of solidarity. I wish Allah's mercy upon all our citizens who lost their lives, as well as our brothers and sisters in Syria, and a speedy recovery to our wounded. May Allah help our country.” (ILKHA)