How the foreign press's requests for interviews with senior public offices are handled was governed by a Prime Ministry circular of 1994.
The Identity of the Circular
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Number | 1994/53 |
| Date | 24/10/1994 |
| Issued by | The Prime Ministry - Directorate General of Personnel and Principles |
| Signature | Prof. Dr. Tansu Ciller, Prime Minister |
| Related letter | The letter of 28 April 2003 |
Its Basis
The circular refers to two bases:
- Decree-Law No. 231 - the organisation and duties of the Directorate General of Press and Information; the duties of reflecting government activity to domestic and foreign public opinion, regulating relations with the press, cooperating with other institutions in Turkey's external promotion activities, and taking measures to facilitate the work of foreign press organisations and their members were given to that Directorate General.
- Council of Ministers Decision No. 87/12201 - it provided that the principles to be applied to the work of foreign journalists and radio and television correspondents coming to Turkey to shoot film and photographs, gather news and conduct interviews would be laid down jointly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Directorate General.
The Arrangement It Brought
The reasoning of the circular is this: having the duty of arranging foreign press members' interviews with the senior offices of the State performed by a single experienced institution will remove the difficulties and lack of coordination that could arise from those foreigners applying to various persons and organisations.
For that reason the circular provides that foreign press requests for interviews with public institutions and organisations and with ministerial offices - and in particular with the office of the Prime Minister - be transmitted by the institution, organisation or office receiving the request to the Directorate General of Press and Information.
The Institutional Change
The duties were transferred to the Presidency's Directorate of Communications and the organisation is governed by Presidential Decree No. 14 of 24/7/2018. We cover it in the BYEGM era guide.
The Same Line: The Principles in Decision No. 88/12839
There is another arrangement on the same line as the Council of Ministers decision the circular refers to: the Principles to Which Foreigners Wishing to Carry Out Scientific Research and Study and to Shoot Films in Turkey, or Those Applying on Behalf of Foreigners, and Foreign Press Members Are Subject (Council of Ministers Decision 4/4/1988-88/12839; Official Gazette 29/4/1988-19799).
Those Principles were added to the Presidential Regulations section in 2021 and their current text names the Directorate of Communications: the principles to be applied to the work of representatives of press and broadcasting organisations holding a valid press card are laid down jointly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Directorate of Communications.
What to Do in Practice
- Route your interview request through the Directorate of Communications.
- Read the institution names in the circular with their current counterparts.
- For requests involving filming and research, check the Principles in Decision No. 88/12839 separately.
- Rely on the Directorate's current announcements; the circular dates from 1994.
Summary
- Circular No. 1994/53 provides for foreign press requests for interviews with public institutions and ministerial offices to be handled through a single institution.
- The Directorate General named in the circular and its basis, Decree-Law No. 231, were abolished in 2018 and the duties transferred to the Directorate of Communications.
- The circular must be read against that current structure.