The outgoing head of the Turkish Presidency’s Directorate of Communications, Fahrettin Altun, handed over his duties to Burhanettin Duran on Thursday in an emotional ceremony in Ankara.
The inaugural chief of the institution that reshaped the presidency’s public communication efforts and fight against disinformation was appointed as the first chair of the directorate in 2018.
Duran, the country's deputy foreign minister, thanked President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for his appointment that was made official on Thursday. His predecessor Altun will now head the Human Rights and Equality Institution of Türkiye (TIHEK). The respected academic who was once a columnist for Daily Sabah like Duran, thanked Erdoğan for his appointment seven years ago.
“I am happy and proud to hand over my duty to Duran, a valuable friend and former colleague. President Erdoğan set out a vision for us and always supported us. The Directorate of Communications has worked with great sacrifice to build the Turkish Communications Model. I also would like to thank journalists attending our ceremony today who worked as soldiers of truth in this post-truth age. I am grateful to them. I also thank my family whom I felt neglected while working here,” Altun said.
For his part, Duran said he was particularly happy to succeed Altun, noting their friendship going back to their academic years and their work at the think-tank Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA).
He said that they would continue the next-generation national communications model shaped by Altun and his team. “(The directorate) did many good things to enhance Türkiye’s international reputation as an influential power, to improve its soft power,” Duran said.
