Between October 22–24, the Turkic Council Media Forum under the theme “Deep-rooted Past, Strong Future” was held in Istanbul.
Hosted by the Directorate of Communications of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey and the Secretariat of the Turkic Council, the Forum was attended by Director of Communications of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey Prof. Fahrettin Altun, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, the Head of Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmat Hajiyev, Baghdad Amreyev, the Secretary General of the Turkic Council, the President of the so called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, H.E. Ersin Tatar, as well as high-level delegations of authorities in charge of the media from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Hungary and Turkmenistan. More than 500 participants, including prominent media representatives, academicians, social media influencers and students from the Member and Observer States also took part.
The Forum featured a video message from the President of the Republic of Turkey, H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who underlined the importance of gaining independence in the sphere of the media and communications and called on the Turkic World to take initiatives in this regard by sharing experience, joining forces, and seeking ways to make the most effective use of their existing potential. President Erdoğan also mentioned the problem of misinformation in social media channels, pointing out that the lack of control is a threat to both democracy and social peace.
Addressing the Forum, Baghdad Amreyev, the Secretary General of the Turkic Council stated that cooperation within the organization has entered a new era in the last two years and they have achieved tangible results in political, trade and economic and other fields, becoming the joint cooperation mechanism, the common voice and platform of the Turkic World.
Talking about the Forum’s topic, Baghdad Amreyev stressed that in the era of globalization, with the development of the internet, the world has become a single information and communication space. He underlined that in these challenging times, the Turkic World has been acting as a united entity, showing solidarity with their joint action in social media and communication channels, especially during the Karabakh Liberation War. The Secretary General concluded that the Turkic Council, by creating a common information area, will continue to carry out activities to increase the cooperation among the countries in the field of media and information.
The Director of Communications of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey, Professor Fahrettin Altun underlined the important role that the media plays in fostering cooperation in the Turkic World and combatting misinformation. Prof. Altun also emphasized the need to strengthen the sense of unity and solidarity among the Turkic speaking countries and advocated for the further deepening practical cooperation to this end.
The Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and the Head of Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, Hikmat Hajiyev pointed out that during the 44-day war, the Member States and Turkic Council did not spare their support for the people of Azerbaijan, particularly in the fight against fake media campaigns. Hikmat Hajiyev also stated that Azerbaijan is determined to rebuild Karabakh and regain its historical prestige as a center of Turkic–Islamic civilization and expressed his belief that friendly Turkic countries would stand by Azerbaijan in this process.
The President of the so called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Ersin Tatar emphasized the crucial role of the Media Forum for the unity and solidarity of the Turkic World and elaborated on the experience of Northern Cyprus in the fight with media abuses.
Following the plenary session, Turkic World 30th Anniversary Special Session: “Deep-rooted Past, Strong Future” moderated by the Deputy Secretary General of the Turkic Council, Gismat Gozalov was held where the panellists discussed the avenues of cooperation and actions needed to be taken to advance ties in the field of the media and information within the Turkic Council.
