Türkiye 'grateful' for Twitter's cooperation to combat disinformation amid deadly quakes

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - Ankara is "grateful" for Twitter's support to the country's disinformation efforts in the wake of deadly earthquakes that hit Türkiye's southern region, the country's communication director Fahrettin Altun said Thursday.

"The Turkish authorities had a productive meeting with Twitter yesterday. We are grateful for Twitter’s cooperation and pledge to support Türkiye’s efforts to combat disinformation," Altun said on Twitter.

His remarks came a day after Türkiye reminded Twitter about its responsibilities toward disinformation, false reports, fake aid campaigns, fake accounts and sharing incorrect information on the social media platform.

"Disinformation is humanity’s common enemy and a grave threat to democracy, social peace, and national security. We look forward to working more closely with Twitter over the next few days and weeks," Altun said.

Previously, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasized the need to fight against provocateurs who use disinformation to create confusion and distress among the people.

At least 12,873 people were killed and 62,937 others were injured by two strong earthquakes which jolted southern Türkiye on Monday.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 10 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, felt strong tremors that struck Türkiye in the space of less than 10 hours.