The Directorate of Communications organised a panel titled "Democracy Watch: Türkiye After July 15."
The panel, which was moderated by TRT Haber Anchor Oya Eren, included Prof. Murat Yeşiltaş of Ankara Social Sciences University's Department of International Relations, Prof. Atilla Yayla of İstanbul Medipol University's Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Prof. Özden Zeynep Oktav of İstanbul Medeniyet University, and journalist Halime Kökce.
Prof. Yeşiltaş stated that Türkiye emerged as a country capable of rebuilding its security depth after July 15.
Stating that the change in the national security strategy was shaped by the steps taken after July 15, Yeşiltaş said, "One of the aims of the coup was to create a compliant and obedient Türkiye — a country that listens but does not speak. The goal was to build a Türkiye that had lost its ability and capacity to act as an actor in global politics. After July 15, however, Türkiye regained its national depth and re-emerged as an active actor on the international stage. Today, the terrorist organisation PKK's decision to lay down arms should be seen not as a choice made among several options, but as a choice that emerged out of compulsion."
Noting that the national defence industry consolidated after July 15, Yeşiltaş said that a depth in national defence was gained during this period and that the counter-terrorism strategy had a significant impact on the formation of this depth.
Prof. Atilla Yayla, Faculty Member at İstanbul Medipol University, remarked that he called July 15 a "glorious resistance."
Emphasising the historical significance of July 15, Prof. Yayla said, "The position taken by the political leadership was effective in the glorious resistance. The political leadership decided to resist, and this was a wonderful development for Türkiye. This event has eliminated the sense of learned helplessness that was widespread in society and political circles against coups."
İstanbul Medeniyet University Faculty Member Prof. Özden Zeynep Oktav said, "What we experienced on the night of July 15 was not just a coup but an attack targeting our President personally. The people have always stood with the civilian government against coups."
Journalist Halime Kökce recounted her experiences as a journalist on the night of July 15. Kökce stated that the media had generally played a supporting role during coups in Türkiye's history of coups and said, "In Türkiye's history of coups, the role of the media was not to organise public resistance against the coup but rather to support and incite the coup. On July 15, we witnessed the exact opposite."
