Ankara hosts talks on countering disinformation targeting Turkic world

A joint digital education project and media school should be launched within the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) and the broader Turkic world to effectively combat disinformation, Fehmi Gurdalli, director of the Turkish News Agency-Cyprus, said at the panel titled "Examples of disinformation targeting the Turkic world and efforts to combat it" held as part of the Forum of Turkic States on Combatting Disinformation, Report informs.

According to Gurdalli, the implementation of such a joint project has become a necessity, as fragmented national efforts should be replaced with unified approaches and experience-sharing, particularly drawing on Türkiye's expertise. He also stressed the need to adapt the education and training systems of OTS member states to the requirements of the digital age.

Javid Musayev, head of the communication policy sector of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, noted that media literacy has gained special importance in the 21st century, as social networks are actively used for manipulation. He emphasized the importance of focused work with young people in this area.

Ilyas Yesmagul, a representative of Kazakhstan's Ministry of Culture and Information, pointed to the need to develop critical thinking, digital culture and the engagement of informed citizens-especially youth-in the media environment, as well as the importance of fact-checking and professional training.

Representatives of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan drew attention to the risks of financial fraud carried out through disinformation, stressing that effective counteraction cannot rely on regulation alone and requires education, technological solutions and international cooperation.