Handover ceremony at the Directorate of Communications: First statements from Altun and Duran

A change of duty has taken place at the Presidential Directorate of Communications by the decision of AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

According to the decision published in the Official Gazette, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Burhanettin Duran has been appointed to this position. Fahrettin Altun, who has served as the Director of Communications since 2018, has been appointed to a new role. Altun will assume the presidency of the Human Rights and Equality Institution of Turkey.

A handover ceremony was held at the Presidential Directorate of Communications as part of the change in duty. Fahrettin Altun handed over his position to Burhanettin Duran during the ceremony.

"WE WORKED IN LINE WITH ERDOĞAN'S VISION"

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Altun expressed his happiness in handing over the duty to Burhanettin Duran and said the following:

"Since the day our President appointed us to this duty, we have worked in the national and international arena together with all our colleagues in fields such as strategic communication, public diplomacy, public relations, combating disinformation, and country branding, in line with his vision. We have strived to establish the unity of discourse of our state and to make state-nation relations and communication more qualified. Since the day our Directorate of Communications was established, we have endeavored to complete its organization and institutionalization in the national and international arena. We have also made efforts to strengthen our human resources infrastructure, financial means, and legal framework. And whatever we did throughout this process, we did it thanks to the opportunities provided to us by our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and the vision and support he placed before us. He has always supported us. He has always set the vision and determined the direction. We are grateful to him."

"STRIVING TO CARRY THE FLAG FURTHER"

Burhanettin Duran spoke as follows:

"As Turkey is an influential power, beautiful things have been put forward on many issues, from further increasing its international reputation to its soft power and investments in the digital field. The continuation of these and the effective maintenance of this new generation national communication model created by Mr. Fahrettin will be among the works we will carry out. Of course, the Directorate of Communications is one of our country's strategic institutions; an institution that reinforces the resilience of our state and nation and contributes to the formation of its future. In this context, combating disinformation and public diplomacy are issues in which our institution provides significant strategic contributions. Of course, continuity is essential in the state; we will also strive to carry this flag further. With an understanding that centers on the truth, we will strive to consolidate trust, prosperity, and peace at home, and our country's reputation and influence abroad. Let no one have any doubt, and let everyone believe, that all these works we will do under the leadership of our President and within the framework of his vision will prioritize the interests of our nation and our state."

Stating that within the scope of the 'New Century of Turkey', a period is being discussed in which Turkey's values, history, and mission are being rebuilt on a global scale alongside economic development and political stability, Duran continued his words as follows:

"Turkey, under the leadership of our President, has reached a different point and has now become a country that determines the direction. In this great march, public diplomacy and strategic communication have played key roles in increasing our country's visibility and influence in the international arena. Our goal is to further consolidate this, to strive to make it even stronger, and to contribute to this. This is a message not only on a Turkish scale but also on a global scale. The principle that 'the world is bigger than 5' is an important vision and an important framework that has a response in the world today and to which not only statesmen but also nations and peoples pay attention. We have to combine our soft power, our culture, our art, and our humanitarian stance with the realities of the digital age. We see public diplomacy as an important area here. We are proceeding with a formula where our local and national stance will meet with a global language, and we will continue that. And as is known, the Turkey brand will continue to take place in public opinion as the voice and carrier of the oppressed and the defender of justice. Looking at it this way, we will continue to be the voice, face, and conscience of Turkey with all the effort we can muster. As an institution that supports all the efforts of Turkey, which advocates for a fairer world, we will do our best."

News Source: İHA