TURKEY’S public and private sectors must support the national brand, be wise and committed to their communications strategies to deal with internal and external challenges.
The challenges include terrorism and the recent change from a parliamentary to a presidential system, says Dr Fahrettin Altun, head of Turkey’s directorate of communications.
He stresses the importance of supporting President Reccep Tayyip Erdogan as the country’s most visible brand and effective communications tool.
On the presidential system of governance, he says Turkey’s civil servants must understand that effective communication plays an important role in helping the country weather criticisms about its handling of national and international affairs.
“We must be aware that the left and right movements around the world are rising, so there’s a need to stay on position and be united as we are affected by security crises, trade war and geopolitical factors.
“Turkey is a regional power. So, we have an important role in negotiations and bargaining say on issues internationally,” he told 300 directorate staff during a year-end workshop here recently.
As an example, he mentions Erdogan’s overseas visits and meetings with international leaders where the president defended and countered international criticism on issues, including Turkey’s Peace Spring offensive.
Referring to Erdogan as a “brand”, Altun says, the former should be supported when he lashed French President Emmanuel Macron for calling the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) “brain dead”.
In an interview with The Economist, Macron used the remark to describe the lack of coordination between Nato allies over Turkey’s army operations in Kurdish areas in Syria in October.
Erdogan, in a blistering criticism against Macron, was quoted by The Guardian as saying: “I have explained to him the threats we are facing from Syria many times. But he never understood. Believe me, he is so inexperienced. He does not know what the fight against terror is. That’s why the ‘yellow vests’ (Gilet Jaunes) movement has occupied almost all of France. He failed to deliver his citizens’ rights.”
Altun wants the directorate to aim for more. He acknowledges a fruitful 2019 for having held more than 1,500 activities locally and internationally, especially efforts in producing videos on the threat of Fetullahist Terrorist Organisation (Feto) that is accused of being the mastermind of a failed coup d’etat in 2016.
He reminds directorate officials to boost efforts to highlight the fact that Turkey is facing multiple threats in the form of terrorist groups.
“After all, (Turkey) is the only country that is facing simultaneous security issues, including Feto, Kurdish People’s Protection Units and the Islamic State.”
In view of the flow of news in the era of social media, he says, directorate senior officials should forge closer relations with the media.
He says directorate officials should be active in helping information flow by keeping communication channels open.
Since they are under the Presidential Office, he says, the officers are responsible for ensuring that reports on Turkey are true and fair.
At the workshop, participants discussed the developments in Syria, impacts of refugees, anti-terrorism campaigns and foreign media perception of Turkey.
The writer is NST foreign editor