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By Recep Tayyip ERDOĞAN, President of the Republic of Türkiye
One of the most brutal coup attempts in Turkey’s political history took place exactly ten years ago, on 15 July 2016. Orchestrated by a terrorist network that had insidiously infiltrated our country’s institutions, this attempt aimed to plunge Türkiye into deep chaos and seize the future of our nation. In defending its independence and its future, our cherished people displayed heroic resistance against the putschists, telling the whole world that the national will could not be enslaved on this land. The wisdom, courage and foresight shown by the Turkish people on the night of 15 July are unquestionably without precedent in the history of global democracy.
This treacherous attempt, plotted by the Gülenist Terror Organization (FETÖ), was far more than a coup attempt; above all, it was an attempt at full-scale occupation that threatened our country’s independence. The putschists first targeted the Presidential Complex and the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, the very institutions that symbolise our nation’s will and independence. On the night of 15 July, I had stressed that I had never known any force greater than the nation. In saying this, I was convinced that the Turkish people would defend their own will. And indeed, that night, our nation poured into the streets with unshakable faith and self-confidence, and refused to submit to the domination of this terrorist gang. Our people, who stood up to mortal danger to defend their country’s independence, its democratic gains and its free will, drove back the putschists, inscribing their name in an epic of national will that will be proudly passed from generation to generation.
Inspired by the courage of our nation, we acted without delay to counter the harmful effects of this coup attempt. We immediately implemented structural reforms to eliminate, across all state institutions, any formation capable of undermining democratic processes through non-political means. Thereafter, we achieved decisive successes in operations carried out both nationally and internationally, as we continued our strategy of dismantling the other terrorist organisations we are fighting. Finally, we launched the “A Türkiye without Terrorism” process, which marks a new chapter in our history of unity and solidarity. Thank God, this process, which is one of the fundamental milestones of our vision for the “Turkish Century”, is moving firmly towards its goal, thanks to a comprehensive and inclusive approach and to the efforts of our competent security services and the support of political institutions. I am convinced that the success of this process will contribute not only to peace in our country, but also to peace in our region.
In the aftermath of this struggle against the perpetrators of the coup attempt, which also targeted our country’s prosperity and economic development, we have taken robust steps towards a more prosperous future through projects launched in sectors such as energy, transport, health, agriculture, technology and defence. With the National Technology Initiative launched ten years ago, we have made substantial progress in the defence, aviation and aerospace sectors. We have developed electric and intelligent transport systems, and we have sought to live up to the sacrifices made by our nation by investing heavily in health and agriculture. Over this period, we have also developed globally recognised branded products, including the TOGG electric car, the KAAN fighter jet, corvettes and drones.
On the other hand, over the past decade, Türkiye has established itself as an influential player in resolving crises and conflicts at regional and global level, thanks to its proactive foreign policy approach. In every crisis-hit region, we have not hesitated to shoulder our responsibilities to secure peace and stability, standing with the oppressed and the righteous, rather than with the powerful. We have been the voice of international law, justice and conscience wherever oppression and injustice prevail. If Türkiye is now regarded as a country whose contribution is sought, whose voice is respected and whose opinion is consulted on regional and global issues, this success is owed to the will of our dear people, who defended their independence and future at the risk of their lives on the night of 15 July.
The fight against terrorism, which requires international cooperation, remains an absolute priority of our foreign policy. It is common knowledge that the internal disintegration process within FETÖ’s foreign structure has accelerated over the past two years. We do, however, know that certain countries are currently providing covert support to this organisation and are also harbouring its members. I would like to take this opportunity to stress the need for heightened vigilance against FETÖ, an organisation that considers all means justified to achieve its goals, resorts to every pretext and does not hesitate to instrumentalise every concept, including democracy, freedom and human rights. As a nation that lost 253 of its citizens during the 15 July coup attempt, we fundamentally expect the international community to support Türkiye’s just struggle. Global peace, security and prosperity can only be ensured through a determined and uncompromising fight against terrorist organisations, without distinction, and through sincere cooperation.
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