The Strategic Communications Summit'26 will bring leading global figures to Istanbul to discuss the disruptions shaping the international system. It will be held in Istanbul on March 27 and 28, 2026 under the theme “Disruption of the International System: Crises, Narratives and the Search for Order“, the Turkish Embassy in Bulgaria said in a press release.
The summit will address a wide range of issues, from strategic communication to the future of diplomacy, from artificial intelligence to the transformation of global public opinion, and from soft power to crisis management.
The opening remarks of the summit will be delivered by Prof. Dr. Burhanettin Duran, Head of Communications of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey, followed by a video message from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and an address by Dr. Cevdet Yılmaz, Vice President of the Republic of Turkey. The second day will be opened with addresses by Dr. Hakan Fidan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey. The program will also feature prominent figures such as Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Kalin, Head of the National Intelligence Organization, Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün, President of the Defense Industry, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Tavakül Karman.
The Strategic Communications Summit '26 will bring together ministers, senior civil servants, diplomats, academics, media representatives and experts from think tanks from various countries.
In this context, the participation of Nadezhda Neynski, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, and Nayden Todorov, Minister of Culture of Bulgaria, is of particular importance for Turkey-Bulgaria relations and regional dialogue.
Nayden Todorov, Minister of Culture of Bulgaria, will speak on the second day of the summit in the panel titled “Rethinking Soft Power: Influence and Limits in a Time of Global Disruption“. The panel will examine the relationship between culture, influence, visibility and strategic communication in a time of global disruption from a multidimensional perspective.
The program will also include Tahsin Ertugrulğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus; Hamza Al-Mustafa, Minister of Information of Syria; Zahir Uddin Swapon, Minister of Information and Broadcasting of Bangladesh; Ahmad Ismailov, Executive Director of the Media Development Agency of Azerbaijan; Walid Amar Elafi, Minister of State for Communications and Political Affairs of Libya; and Kubanıçbek Omuraliev, Ambassador and Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States, as well as many international experts and decision-makers.
The summit will not only serve as a platform for discussing global crises and emerging power dynamics, but will also provide an international forum for ideas on strategic communication, public diplomacy, the information ecosystem, cultural influence and the future of regional narratives. In this regard, STRATCOM SUMMIT'26 stands out as an important platform, bringing together Turkey's experience in strategic communication with international stakeholders.