Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
President of the Republic of Türkiye
Ten years ago, on July 15, 2016, one of the most brutal coup attempts in Turkish political history took place. The aim of this attempt, carried out by a terrorist network that had cunningly infiltrated state institutions, was to plunge Türkiye into prolonged chaos and to subjugate the future of our people to its domination.
However, our proud people, determined to defend the independence of their homeland and the future of their nation, resisted the coup plotters with heroic defiance. They declared to the entire world that national will on this land can neither be enslaved nor confiscated. There is no doubt that the wisdom, courage and foresight demonstrated by the Turkish people on the night of July 15 represent a unique event in the history of global democracy.
This treacherous attempt, carried out by the FETO terrorist organization, was more than a conventional military coup. It was a comprehensive attempt at occupation that threatened the independence and sovereignty of our country. The primary targets of the coup plotters were the Presidential Complex and the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, as the two institutions that embody the national will and the independence of the Turkish people.
In my statement on the night of July 15, I affirmed that I have never believed there is a force greater than the power of the people. I said this with full conviction that the Turkish people would protect their free will. And indeed, that night our citizens took to the streets with firm faith and great self-confidence, refusing to submit to the domination of the terrorist gang. In defense of their country’s independence, democratic gains and free will, our people waged a heroic resistance and made the ultimate sacrifice. They succeeded in defeating the coup plotters and wrote a national epic in defense of popular will that will remain a source of pride for generations to come.
Inspired by the courageous stance of our people, we were determined to act swiftly to remove the negative consequences of this treacherous attempt. We immediately launched structural reforms to ensure that no formations within state institutions could threaten the functioning of democracy through extra-political means.
Following that, we achieved decisive successes in operations carried out both inside and outside the country as part of our strategy to eliminate other terrorist organizations we face. Ultimately, we launched the „Terror-Free Türkiye” initiative as a new chapter in our journey of national unity and solidarity. This process is one of the fundamental pillars of the Turkish Century vision. By the grace of God, it is moving forward with confident steps toward its goals, based on an inclusive approach and the efforts of the relevant security institutions, as well as the support of political institutions.
I believe that the success of the Terror-Free Türkiye process will not only contribute positively to the security and stability of our country, but will also help strengthen peace and stability in our region.
We have taken firm steps toward building a more prosperous future through projects we launched in energy, transportation, health, agriculture, technology and defense, as part of our struggle against the coup attempt that also targeted our economic well-being and development. Over the past ten years, we have achieved a qualitative leap in the defense, aviation and space industries through the National Technology Initiative. We have also developed electric and smart transportation systems, and made major investments in health and agriculture, in order to live up to the sacrifices made by our people.
During this period, we continued to develop products that have become globally recognized brands. Among the most prominent are the electric car TOGG, the national combat aircraft KAAN, national corvettes, and unmanned aerial vehicles.
On the other hand, over the past ten years, Türkiye has emerged, thanks to its proactive diplomacy, as an influential actor in finding solutions to crises and conflicts at both the regional and international levels. We have not hesitated to assume our responsibilities to establish peace and stability. In all crisis zones, we have stood with the oppressed and those in the right, not with the strongest. Whenever there was injustice or a violation of justice, Türkiye has been a voice for international law, justice and human conscience.
If Türkiye today is a country whose contributions to regional and international issues are relied upon, whose word is trusted, and whose views are taken into account, the credit for this achievement belongs to the steadfast will of our proud people, who defended the independence of their homeland and the future of their nation with their lives on the night of July 15.
Combating terrorism, which requires international cooperation, remains at the top of our foreign policy agenda. As is well known, over the past two years the external structure of the FETO terrorist organization has witnessed an accelerated process of internal disintegration. However, we are aware that some countries continue, even if covertly, to provide support to this organization and harbor its members.
On this occasion, I would like to stress the need for vigilance against the FETO terrorist organization, which stops at nothing to achieve its goals, disguises itself in various forms, and exploits concepts such as democracy, freedom and human rights to serve its aims.
As a people who lost 253 of our citizens as martyrs to the coup plotters on the night of July 15, our primary expectation of the international community is to support Türkiye’s legitimate struggle. Establishing peace, security and prosperity at the global level can only be achieved through a determined and uncompromising fight against terrorist organizations, without discrimination and based on sincere cooperation.
** Article by the President of the Republic of Türkiye – Sent by the Directorate of Communications of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye
