Director General of TRT Sobacı: “Türkiye is waging a noble struggle for the world”

In the opening speech of the 6th TRT World Forum 2022, which was held on 9-10 December this year under the theme "Mapping the Future: Uncertainties, Realities and Opportunities", Director General of TRT Mehmet Zahid Sobacı stated, "For a better future, we must reveal the current situation with all its clarity, evaluate the potential to transform uncertainties into opportunities and together carry the vision of the world's future towards hope".

He further stated: "It is within this framework that we should evaluate the meaning and value of the exchange of ideas that will take place over the next two days with almost a 100 speakers and more than a thousand participants from nearly 40 countries. Today, Türkiye is hosting ideas, perspectives and different voices from around the world. But more than that, Türkiye, under the leadership of our President Mr Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, do not hesitate to put his hands under the stone for action, with the principles of replacing war with peace, the problem with solution, and protecting the rights of all people instead of the privileges of a certain group."

"Türkiye manages the crisis based on reconciliation until international problems are resolved."

Sobacı stated that Türkiye has played a key role in the resolution of many global crises through President Erdoğan's leading diplomacy, bringing the parties together and being a safe haven for dialogue:

"Türkiye, which opened a corridor during the grain crisis, provided assurance during the prisoner exchange, assisted more than 150 countries during the Covid-19 pandemic, and fought for a dignified life for each of the 8 billion people, demonstrates the 'A Fairer World is Possible' in essence, discourse and action. At this point, our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is managing a process based on cooperation and consensus with all parties until a solution is reached in the field of international politics."

"TRT's international channels broadcast with equity."

Stating that the media has a significant responsibility in solving global problems, Sobacı stated that media organisations have to be a mirror to the entirety of the events, relations, people and issues from the speck to the realm. Underlining that this is not a matter of preoccupation but a matter of responsibility, Sobacı spoke as follows:

"It is a sincere struggle for the truth that must be adequately fulfilled. Today, we see that truth and lies, reality and illusion, are intertwined in the global communication system. There is only one solution to counter this confusion, which is sometimes deliberate and sometimes unwitting: To be able to look at the whole world through a fair visor, not through filters; to be able to report and broadcast based on the principle of fairness without discriminating between the strong and the weak. TRT World and all our international channels in foreign languages continue their journey by expanding their sphere of influence with such an essential vision."

"TRT Africa, TRT Persian and TRT Spanish digital channels on the way."

Stating that they are expanding their international publications day by day, Sobacı concluded his speech as follows:

"In addition to TRT French and TRT Balkan, which we established this year, our international digital news channels, TRT Africa, TRT Persian and TRT Spanish, will start broadcasting in the coming period. Of course, as the TRT family, we focus on global and regional issues with many international events we organise throughout the year as well as our broadcasts. In this context, as Türkiye's public broadcaster, we strongly comment on the global information flow and perception processes fuelled by a single source and conducted in a unipolar manner for many years. Mr President, while carrying out all these activities, we are supported by the self-confidence you have given our country in every field. We endeavour to make our best contribution to the struggle for a 'fairer world' on a global scale in the field of media."