Turkey’s cabinet, businesspeople to launch international PR campaign in bid to improve country’s image

Finance Minister Naci Ağbal, Development Minister Lütfil Elvan and Customs and Trade Minister Bülent Tüfenkci held a meeting with a number of leading businesspeople to share views about the launch of this campaign late on Aug. 23. 

The meetings were attended by around 30 top bosses, including Doğan Holding Chair Begümhan Doğan Faralyalı, Fiba Holding Chair Hüsnü Özyeğin, Çalık Holding Chair Ahmet Çalık, Limak Holding Chair Nihat Özdemir, Pegasus Airlines Chair Ali Sabancı and Doğan Media Group Executive Mehmet Ali Yalçındağ, among others.

In the meeting they reportedly decided to launch a comprehensive PR campaign, creating more “effective communication strategies” to improve Turkey’s deteriorating image abroad and “rewrite the country’s narrative.”

They also concluded that a special emphasis would be given on “passing structural reforms on a demand basis” and “ensuring transparency.” 

In a joint press meeting after the meeting, Elvan said a systematic negative “perception operation” had started abroad against Turkey after the failed July 15 coup attempt. 

“We will overcome these difficult days by working together with nongovernmental organizations, businesspeople and public institutions,” he noted. 

Ağbal stressed that the togetherness of different sections of society for the good of the country was of great importance. 

“These processes will make an additional contribution to the deepening of democratization and the rule of law in Turkey,” he said.


Structural reforms 

Ağbal added that the common view of the attendees was to work together in a bid to sustain Turkey’s growth story without interruption by fueling investments and exports. 

He also noted that a law and justice reforms must be realized in order to maintain the rule of law. 

“The main way to increase the quality of human capital is to increase the quality of the education system. In this vein, we need to make education reforms as well. Another key reform area is the public administration. If the public sector slows down the business of companies then we cannot talk about a competitive private sector,” Ağbal said.