Ankara rejects ‘disinformation,’ underlines strength of Türkiye-Azerbaijan ties

Türkiye’s official anti-disinformation agency has issued a statement refuting what it described as online “disinformation” and reiterating the strength of relations between Türkiye and Azerbaijan.

In a statement posted on the Turkish social-media platform NSosyal, the agency called on the public to beware of “exaggerated rhetoric, disinformation, and propaganda” aimed at undermining the “brotherly ties” between the two countries.

“Closely bound by unshakable historical ties and shared values, Türkiye and Azerbaijan have not only today, but also in the past, successfully overcome the many challenges they faced,” the statement, released over the weekend, said.

It also stressed that bilateral ties - maintained at the “leadership level” by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev - remain strong under the motto “One Nation, Two States.”

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On Saturday, Burhanettin Duran, communications director for the Turkish presidency, said Türkiye’s Communications Directorate had detected an uptick in online disinformation related to the ongoing regional conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the U.S.

Since the conflict erupted late last month, he said Turkish authorities had blocked 41 social-media accounts and removed dozens of posts for disseminating disinformation.

According to Duran, a number of social-media accounts had deliberately shared unverified content with the aim of sowing confusion and panic among the public.

In remarks to the media, Duran said the authorities were taking steps to combat what he described as “digital manipulation attempts targeting public order, social peace, and national security.”

Most of the blocked accounts were on the social-media platforms X, Facebook, and Instagram, he said, adding that the relevant public agencies were continuing to monitor the situation closely.

Türkiye’s anti-disinformation agency has repeatedly called on the public to refrain from giving credence to unverified claims and to rely solely on official statements “issued by competent authorities.”

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