Anadolu vows to deepen media cooperation in Turkic world

By Zehra Tekeci Eser, Ismet Karakas and Gizem Nisa Demir

ANKARA / ISTANBUL (AA) - Anadolu CEO Serdar Karagoz pledged Friday to strengthen media cooperation in the Turkic world further, emphasizing the importance of shared history, language and cultural ties in building a common future.

"Anadolu will continue its work and share its experience. We will further advance media cooperation across the Turkic world. Drawing strength from our shared past, we will build a common future," said Karagoz.

He made the remarks during the "Media Cooperation in the Turkic World: From Unity to Global Impact" session as part of the Turkic World Dialogue Forum organized by the Turkish Presidency's Communications Directorate at a hotel in Ankara.

Noting Ismail Gaspirali's famous words, "Unity in language, thought and action," Karagoz said that despite changes in the world, borders and communication technologies, the principle of unity remained relevant.

He highlighted the significance of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) summit's theme, "Turkic Century: Unity in Language, Thought and Action," saying it reflected the Turkic world's shared vision.

- Strengthening institutional cooperation

Karagoz stressed that media cooperation was becoming increasingly strategic, noting that the Turkic world shared a common history, culture, language and centuries-old civilizational heritage.

Established during the most difficult days of Türkiye's War of Independence, Anadolu helped bring the country's struggle to international attention and now aims to promote greater mutual awareness in the Turkic world, he said.

Broadcasting in 14 languages, Anadolu maintains strong journalistic ties across a broad geography, from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan to Hungary and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

It closely follows political, economic, cultural and social developments in those countries while sharing its journalism experience through training programs and joint projects, said Karagoz.

He highlighted the establishment of the Alliance of Turkic News Agencies (ATNA) in 2023, bringing together news agencies from Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to institutionalize media cooperation.

"ATNA has become one of the institutional expressions of our shared history and cultural affinity in the media sector. Anadolu assumed the union's first-term presidency because our goal was to establish a strong and lasting structure," he said.

Karagoz added that ATNA organized journalism training programs, competitions and experience-sharing events to increase the international visibility of the Turkic world.

"With ATNA, we have once again challenged the preconceived notions that 'Turks do not easily come together. Turks like one another, but they cannot build institutional structures,'" he said.

- New award to recognize journalists in Turkic world

Karagoz announced that Anadolu would introduce a new Turkic World News Award category next year as part of its annual News Awards, which have been held for the last two years.

The agency also presents a Special Award for the Use of Turkish in Journalism in cooperation with the Turkish Language Association.

The new category will recognize original, high-quality reporting by journalists working in the Turkic world.

"We hope to strengthen cooperation among journalists across the Turkic world and make our shared stories more visible internationally. Our language is one of the most important bonds connecting our collective memory and our future," said Karagoz.

- Warning against disinformation targeting Turkic unity

Karagoz warned that although friendly countries would welcome closer cooperation, some external actors might view the growing unity of the Turkic world as a threat and try to undermine it through disinformation.

"The most frequently used method is disinformation and attempts to drive a wedge between brotherly countries," he said.

Citing Türkiye-Azerbaijan relations, Karagoz warned of efforts by third parties and groups to undermine that friendship.

"Türkiye and Azerbaijan are two brotherly countries. But are there not efforts, particularly by third parties, certain countries and groups within those countries, to undermine this brotherhood?

"Are there not attempts to damage the friendship between the peoples of Türkiye and Azerbaijan? We cannot resolve certain issues without talking about them. So let us talk about them," he said.

"There are those who want to turn the peoples of the two countries against each other. There are several countries outside the Turkic world sowing seeds of discord to damage our relations and disrupt our peace," he added.

Karagoz said the media has a responsibility to counter these efforts by strengthening social ties, promoting mutual understanding, and establishing a strong communication foundation for the common future of Turkic countries.

- Karabakh victory demonstrated power of multilingual journalism

Noting Gaspirali's efforts to connect different parts of the Turkic world through his Tercuman newspaper, first published in 1883, Karagoz said today's media infrastructure offers far greater opportunities to advance that vision.

He pointed to the 2020 Karabakh victory as an example of Türkiye's multilingual media capabilities, saying Anadolu and Turkish public broadcaster TRT had worked to counter international disinformation.

"At the time, Anadolu covered the Karabakh victory in 13 languages, while TRT covered it in 41 languages. Together with our Azerbaijani brothers, we fought against the lies of the Armenian diaspora in the same language and with the same sense of solidarity," he said.

Karagoz also reiterated the importance of unity in the Turkic world.

"We will be united in language, united in thought and united in action. We will stand together in difficult times and in good times. We will warn one another against those who seek to divide us and sow discord among us, and we will remain united," he said.

Karagoz thanked the Communications Directorate, its head Burhanettin Duran, and his team for organizing the forum.

Zehra Tekeci Eser,İsmet Karakaş