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TRT Director General who said 'We will disturb Iran' takes a step back

TRT Director General Mehmet Zahid Sobacı, who made headlines and drew a reaction from Iran with his remarks that "we will disturb Iran," has argued that his words were taken out of context. Sobacı stated that his comments were related to "broadcasting competition."

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TRT Director General Mehmet Zahid Sobacı's remarks, "We will disturb Iran," made during the academic year opening ceremony at Bursa Uludağ University, have sparked reactions.

Ahmed Noruzi, head of the World Service of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), also reacted to Sobacı's words, stating: "While we are focused on reporting the daily massacres of the Zionist regime in Palestine and Lebanon, we reserve the right to take appropriate reciprocal measures without being distracted by unhealthy and imprudent statements. As IRIB, we hope that Turkish officials will rightly condemn and clarify this."

"TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT"

In a statement following the reactions directed at him, Sobacı argued that his remarks, "We have to disturb Iran," were quoted out of context.

In his statement, Sobacı said his words were an emphasis on broadcasting competition following the launch of TRT's Persian-language service.

In his statement, addressing the reaction from Iran following his speech on October 9 without naming them, Sobacı said, "TRT's sensitivity regarding the Palestinian issue can never be questioned."

The full text of Sobacı's written statement is as follows:

"A sentence from the 'competition in international broadcasting' section of my academic-themed and extemporaneous speech, which lasted about an hour at Bursa Uludağ University, has been presented in an artificial framework by being taken out of context, without considering what came before or after it.

In the relevant section, it was pointed out that TRT has expanded its international broadcasting network; it was emphasized that in addition to German and Russian, TRT has recently established African, French, Spanish, and Balkan digital news platforms, that this is one of TRT's most fundamental responsibilities as Turkey's public broadcaster, and that it is in serious competition in these areas.

The sentence taken out of context also contained an emphasis on the broadcasting competition that would occur in that language following the establishment of TRT Persian. Because TRT makes an impact with the broadcasting successes it demonstrates in all the languages it broadcasts in, and it disturbs international rival broadcasters in those languages within this race.

TRT's broadcasting line, which contributes to the development of relations with regional countries, including Iran, through all its channels, is clear. In this environment of broadcasting competition, we believe that TRT Persian will be a medium that will reflect the developing Turkey-Iran relations into the media field as well.

"TRT'S SENSITIVITY REGARDING THE PALESTINIAN ISSUE CANNOT BE QUESTIONED"

Therefore, just as Turkey-Iran relations were not intended in the speech in question, our official foreign policy is represented in the statements of our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and our Directorate of Communications, primarily by our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. TRT will continue its broadcasting activities in line with this path, just as it has until now.

TRT, which has been the target of Israel's armed and bombing attacks for telling the world about the genocide our Palestinian brothers and sisters are subjected to, whose broadcasts are being attempted to be blocked by the occupiers, and which produces new and impactful content every day regarding the genocide in Gaza, has a sensitivity regarding the Palestinian issue that can never be questioned.

As TRT, we will continue to be the voice of those whose voices are not heard around the world and to make the ignored visible with our human- and truth-focused broadcasts."