Disinformation is a direct threat to the national security of the Turkic states, Burhanettin Duran, Head of the Communications Directorate of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye, said at the Turkic States Forum on Combating Disinformation held in Ankara under the organization of the Communications Directorate, APA's correspondent dispatched to Ankara reports.
Burhanettin Duran said that at a time when the world is facing uncertainties, conflicts, and global disruptions, the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) has become an important platform bringing together countries that draw strength from fraternal ties. According to him, for 16 years the organization has been operating under the slogan “unity in language, thought, and action,” engaging in many areas, including economic integration, transport corridors, defense cooperation, education, and cultural policies, while also setting new goals.
The head of the Directorate of Communications noted that the strategic approaches voiced by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for many years are today demonstrating their significance more clearly.
Duran emphasized that it is possible to demonstrate a common stance against many challenges, ranging from terrorism and illegal migration to cyber threats and climate change. He stated that the President’s idea of “ensuring our own security under our own sky” points to the necessity of forming joint resistance mechanisms against threats emerging in the international information and communication ecosystem.
According to him, media and communication professionals are at the center of these processes: “The discourse monopoly created by certain international circles in the field of communication is not only a problem for journalists. Disinformation, manipulation, cyberattacks, the rise of hate speech on social platforms, and information chaos pose a direct risk to public order.”
Burhanettin Duran stated that disinformation is essentially a threat directed against truth and has increasingly become an international phenomenon: “This field is now regarded as a strategic area directly linked to national security, public stability, and international reputation.”
He stressed that the inclusion of the fight against disinformation in the Turkic World Vision 2040 document and the action plan for reform priorities for 2025 is no coincidence and demonstrates that a joint struggle is the only viable option.
In his speech at the forum, Duran stated that one of the main reasons for the crises observed in the international system and the deepening of the problem of truth is disinformation. According to him, disinformation is not merely false information, but a serious threat that polarizes societies and damages the institutional capacities of states during periods of crisis and disaster.
He noted that in the modern era, wars are no longer waged solely by military means; the destabilization of targeted countries and societies begins first in the communication sphere, that is, by weakening mental and social resilience. In this regard, the existence of hybrid threats is clearly visible.
Burhanettin Duran stated that the most effective response to such threats is a joint and coordinated struggle. According to him, deliberate and planned disinformation campaigns have become commonplace and are sometimes carried out with strategies targeting shared objectives, and sometimes directed at individual countries.
Emphasizing that strategic projects such as energy, defense, transport, and trade corridors, as well as the international reputation of the Turkic states, their shared identity consciousness, and regional solidarity are being targeted, Duran said that the aim of these activities is not to provide information, but to provoke emotional reactions and create distrust in public opinion.
He stated that the fight against systematic information operations should be built around three main directions. The first direction is for peoples to become more closely acquainted with one another. In this regard, the TRT Avaz channel was noted as playing an important role as the common voice of the Turkic states. The second direction is for the Turkic world to strongly shape its own narrative in the international arena. The third direction is to enhance societies’ resilience to disinformation during periods of crisis and disaster and to create joint mechanisms of struggle.
Burhanettin Duran emphasized that the Forum of Turkic States on Combating Disinformation held in Ankara serves precisely these objectives.
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