Prof. Dr. Fahrettin Altun Head of the Liaison Office of the Presidency of Turkiye
On the night of July 15, 2016, a treacherous coup attempt was launched to overthrow the democratically elected government of Turkiye. The coup attempt, carried out by the Fetullahci Terrorist Organization (FETO), began in Istanbul with the closing of bridges and the deployment of tanks on the streets.
Many government institutions and organizations, including the Turkish Grand National Assembly, the Presidential Complex, and the Ankara Provincial Police Headquarters, were bombed. It soon became clear that this was not an isolated incident, but a coordinated attack.
The FETO strike force launched an attack to assassinate our President Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Following our President’s call, which was broadcast on national television, our people took to the squares to defend their democracy. Millions of our fellow citizens fought the terrorist organization that carried out the coup throughout the night.
On the morning of July 16, the plotters were captured. In total, we lost 252 martyrs and 2,740 veterans, both military and civilian. The barrier against the plotters was provided by heroes such as Martyr Ömer Halisdemir, who sacrificed his life to resist the protection of the Special Forces Command on the night of July 15 and neutralized the general who was part of the group leading the coup. Our citizens managed to neutralize the plotters who tried to kill them on the closed Bosphorus Bridge. This is one of the historical moments when the unity and determination of our nation was tested.
From the first moments of the coup attempt, the Turkish government took steps to restore order and bring the perpetrators to justice. During this process, statements made by our Mr. President and government officials showed that the coup attempt was carried out outside the control of the command by an illegal group that had infiltrated the Turkish Armed Forces.
It became clear that FETO was behind the attempted coup. It turned out that the leader of the organization, who lives in the USA, committed this treacherous act together with his parallel structure within the state.
The victory was celebrated as one of the most honorable resistances not only in Turkiye but also in the history of democracy throughout the world.
Turkiye, which continues its struggle today, expects solidarity from friendly and allied countries, especially in the matter of returning the leaders of FETO who fled abroad. Although many countries are in solidarity with Turkiye’s support in the international community, the reaction of some countries, which are our allies, to the coup attempt was inadequate.
The way the coup attempt was covered in the media of the mentioned countries also left Turkiye far from satisfied. The internationally responsible Western media tried to simplify what happened on the night of July 15. They reported the bloody coup attempt against democracy in our country with the unfortunate phrase “a conflict between two sides.”
After the treacherous coup attempt on July 15, despite numerous attempts to extradite the leader of the Pennsylvania-based organization, we did not receive a positive response from our ally, the United States. This attitude, despite the threat to our democracy, was deplorable for us.
We know that FETO continues to operate in many regions, including in allied countries. We will continue to fight in all areas against this terrorist organization, which threatens the security of not only Turkiye, but also all the states within whose borders it exists.
As a country that has further strengthened its democratic institutions after the treacherous coup attempt, our fight against the terrorist organization that threatens the lives of our citizens and the independence of our country will continue in all areas.
We will continue to honor the memory of our citizens who sacrificed their lives on that bloody night, defending the independence and stability of Turkiye. ///Turkish Embassy in Turkmenistan