Istanbul’s Stratcom Summit Addresses Global Disorder and Disinformation

Turkey’s annual Stratcom Summit opened Friday in Istanbul, bringing together political figures, diplomats, experts, and media representatives from approximately 40 countries and various international organizations. The two-day forum features Bulgarian representation through caretaker Ministers of Foreign Affairs Nadezhda Neynski and Culture Nayden Todorov, who are scheduled to participate in Saturday’s program.

Professor Burhanettin Duran, Head of the Communications Directorate of the Turkish Presidency, announced this year’s theme as “Disruption of the International System: Crises, Narratives and the Search for Order.” He explained that discussions would cover both technical aspects of strategic communication and the multilateral crises affecting the international system, along with narratives that exacerbate these crises.

“We call on the international community and all stakeholders to stand up for the truth and take a more sustained and conscious stance against disinformation,” Duran stated during his opening remarks.

He emphasized that regional destabilization intensifies existing instability and creates permanent uncertainty about the future. Duran specifically referenced the Gaza conflict, claiming that international law “is silent, conceals the truth, masks aggression and creates one-sided narratives.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed participants via video, describing a severe legitimacy crisis in the international system. “The institutions, rules and values that form the basis of the system are losing their function day by day,” Erdogan said. “We are living through a difficult period in which the competition for power has spread to areas as diverse as energy, technology and trade, in which problems are being tried to be solved with weapons instead of dialogue.”

Erdogan reaffirmed Turkey’s commitment to its “principled, unwavering and peace-oriented stance” focused on humanitarian values and justice, pledging to mobilize all resources to restore peace and security throughout the region and the world.

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz noted in his opening speech that Turkey’s foreign policy and strategic communication recognize the current international system’s limitations while persistently advocating for “a more just and inclusive order” on the global agenda.

During a break, Yilmaz responded to a question from Bulgaria’s BTA correspondent about the Bulgarian presence at the forum, stating: “For us, Bulgaria is a friendly, neighboring and allied country and its representatives are always welcome here.”

Friday’s program featured six panels with participants including Turkish government representatives, Defense Industry Agency President Haluk Gorgun, International Organization of Turkic Culture Secretary General Sultan Raev, British House of Lords member Baroness Fiona Hodgson, and Ismet Fatih Cancar, Advisor to the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, among others.

The panels covered wide-ranging topics from strategic communication and diplomacy’s future to artificial intelligence’s role, the transformation of global public opinion, and the applications of soft power and crisis management.

The forum continues Saturday with Bulgarian Ministers Neynski and Todorov joining discussions opened by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Turkish National Intelligence Organization head Professor Ibrahim Kalin will also participate in the second day’s events.

Minister Neynski has scheduled meetings with Foreign Minister Fidan and Professor Duran, while Minister Todorov will speak in a panel titled “Rethinking Soft Power: Influence and Limits in the Face of Global Disruption,” exploring the relationships between culture, influence, public visibility, and strategic communications amid global transformations.

The Stratcom platform, established in 2021 by Turkey’s Directorate of Communications, focuses on using communication processes to achieve specific long-term goals in state policy, defense, and international relations. It aims to build public trust, counter disinformation, and manage crises through international dialogue.

Since its inception, Stratcom forums have attracted thousands of participants and speakers from more than 50 countries, addressing topics including crisis communication, disinformation, public diplomacy, emerging technologies, and media skills. The summit has established itself as an important venue for international dialogue and experience sharing among communications professionals and policymakers.