The International Summit on Strategic Relations was held: Stratcom Summit 23
The International Summit on Strategic Relations was held: Stratcom Summit 23
Delivering the opening speech at the International Summit on Strategic Relations:, held in Istanbul, the Head of the Department of Relations of the Turkish Presidential Administration
Fahrettin Altun touched upon the communication model Turkey is dealing with. Altun said, "We are trying to institutionalize a strategic communication vision that focuses on creating a human-centered communication environment and transparency."
The International Strategic Communications Summit Stratcom Summit’23 was held in Istanbul under the chairmanship of the President of Public Relations. The summit was attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs Fidan, President of Public Relations Fahrettin Altun, Secretary of State of the Government of National Accord of Libya Walid Ammar Ellafi, Minister of Information of Lebanon Zaid Makari, Chief Adviser to the President on Foreign Policy Ambassador Akif Chagatai Kilic and Professor Emeritus of California State University Nancy Snow, Director of Global Communications of the United Nations Melissa FLEMING, Secretary General Director, Dr. Maria Saifuddin EFFENDI, Lecturer, National Defense University of Pakistan, The summit was also attended by Honorary Consul of Kyrgyzstan in Bolu Atillahan Kurt, Secretary General of TURKSOY Sultan Raev and participants from many countries.
The summit, which was held for the 3rd time this year, brought together the world's leading leaders, experts and professionals in the field of communications.
The program, which lasted 2 days, was prepared on the theme "Global fight against hybrid threats: stability, security, solidarity".
On the other hand, it was also attended by expert speakers from the public and private sectors, the media and academia from almost 30 countries.
"Many media outlets have ignored the war crimes in Gaza"
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also sent a video message to the summit participants. Erdogan made the following statement:
We have all seen and see that war, conflicts, attacks and defense do not only take place at the front. We must fight the devastating effects of deformation, which corrupt democracy and strike at individual rights and freedoms. I believe that the 3rd Strategic Communications Summit, organized by our Communications Department, is very important in this regard. I hope that the discussions held under the theme of the global fight against hybrid threats, stability, security and solidarity will be productive.
Minister Fidan and Fahrettin Altun emphasized the "Turkish Communication Model" in their opening speech
. In his speech on the program, Fahrettin Altun referred to Turkey's communication model and used the following statements:
We need global cooperation and exchange of experience in the areas of combating disinformation, crisis communication, public relations, public diplomacy, civic preparedness, awareness, and strengthening joint coordination. Of course, our main value in this process should be human orientation. As Turkey, we are trying to institutionalize a strategic communication vision that focuses on creating a human-centered communication environment and truth, transparency and accountability through the "Turkey Communication Model" we have developed.
The main points of Altun's statements are as follows:
We have come to the end of the world. Yes, that's what Immanuel Wallerstein said, Wallerstein said: "I believe that we are in the middle of a dark forest, and we don't have enough clarity about where we should go. The modern world system, as a historical one, has entered a fatal crisis and is unlikely to last another fifty years. Although it is believed that the collapse of communism in 1989 marked the triumph of liberalism, I think it marks the final collapse of liberalism, which complements the geoculture of the world system. Time will tell how true Wallerstein's harsh prediction will turn out to be, but the obvious fact is that the system created after World War II, especially in the last 20 years, was in a state of great turbulence with its constituent actors, institutions, mechanisms and norms.
"We have not been able to create a global mechanism of struggle"
Director of Public Relations Fahrettin Altun stated that while states and governments are trying to find solutions to global inflation exacerbated by the pandemic, they are all observing how weak and ineffective the channels of global economic cooperation are, and said: "We also noticed that we have not been able to create an effective global disaster response mechanism which threaten the lives of people on our planet due to climate change and global warming. And despite the warnings of scientists over the years, we have not been able to achieve this. The international system has not only proved incapacitated in the face of emerging global crises. At the same time, it has failed in the face of destabilizing conflicts in which it has traditionally existed.
" "The international system is dysfunctional"
Stating that this was the first time they had seen this in the Syrian crisis in the last 10-15 years, Altun said: "In this crisis, we witnessed how international actors and international organizations were helpless in the face of civil war and humanitarian tragedies. The Russian-Ukrainian war, which began 21 months ago, has become a reality that shows how powerless the international system is in the face of interstate conflicts.
" "We are faced with a paradox, a contradiction"
Altun stated that what has been happening in Gaza over the past 47 days and Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip without conscience and justification represent a very painful picture that captures the crisis of the international system, and said:
"The crisis of the international system, which was previously discussed at the elite level, has now turned into a challenge that the peoples of the world are experiencing and following in all its dimensions. We need to state very clearly and clearly that we are facing a paradox, a contradiction. On the one hand, the real world is rapidly globalizing, and on the other hand, the mechanisms built in the context of global governance are failing day by day. While interdependence in inter-communal relations is deepening, crises, threats and problems are also becoming global. It is in this environment that a new challenge has been added to conventional conflicts and global crises."
"We must develop flexible and multifaceted strategies of struggle"
Noting that these are strategies and tactics aimed at maliciously manipulating political decision-making mechanisms, security architecture, social unity, cultural existence and communication processes, Altun said: "This is a threat that traditional and institutional tools, concepts and methods cannot resist.
To counter "hybrid threats", it is necessary, first of all, to reform the mechanisms of national security and defense, to develop flexible and multifaceted response strategies. The classical view of the power of the modern period is not enough to explain today's struggle for power.
"Israel killed 64 media representatives in the Gaza Strip,"
Speaking about the events in Gaza, Altun said:
In order to strengthen its colonial narratives, the Israeli army sends sets of concepts and dictionaries to media companies in the West to use in their reporting, and imposes so-called true and false rulers. On the other hand, Israel is brutally killing journalists in Gaza. Since October 7, Israel has killed 64 media representatives in the Gaza Strip. In this process, Israel uses the method of fascist propaganda and kills journalists, medical workers, women and children, as well as the truth.
"We have the fifth largest diplomatic network in the world"
In his speech, Minister Fidan said that the international system and the geopolitical equation had undergone a transformation, and strategic rivalry had reached its highest level since the end of the cold War.
The main points of Fidan's statements are as follows:
Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs is actively involved in these efforts within the framework of Turkey's national security system. As part of the restructuring efforts in my ministry, we are focusing on strategic communication, taking advantage of the opportunities provided by the digital age. As an organization with the fifth largest diplomatic network in the world, with 260 missions, we have more than enough potential to upgrade ourselves and our infrastructure according to the needs of the time.
