The "National Will and Democratic Resilience: The 10th Anniversary of 15 July" panel, organised by the Directorate of Communications as part of the 15 July Democracy and National Unity Day commemorative events to mark the tenth anniversary of the treacherous coup attempt of 15 July, was held in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia.
The programme, attended by academics, diplomats, representatives of think tanks, members of the media, and invited guests, began with a recitation from the Holy Qur'an and the screening of the thematic video "Victory of Democracy". Following a video message from the Head of Communications, Prof. Burhanettin Duran, the Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to Indonesia, Prof. Talip Küçükcan, delivered the opening remarks.
The panel was moderated by Assoc. Prof. Oğuz Güner and featured Ambassador Prof. Talip Küçükcan, Prof. Erman Akıllı, Dr. Muhammad Syaroni Rofii, and Dr. Deden Mauli Darajat as panellists.
During his opening remarks, Ambassador Prof. Talip Küçükcan underlined the importance of sharing the lessons learned from Türkiye's experience of 15 July with friendly and allied countries. He also emphasised the importance of strengthening cooperation between Türkiye and Indonesia in the fields of democracy and institutional resilience.
The moderator of the panel, Assoc. Prof. Oğuz Güner, stated that the panel provided a forum for discussing Türkiye's 15 July experience from an international standpoint and helped foster a common understanding of the need to defend democracy, constitutional order, and the rule of law.
As the panel's opening speaker, Ambassador Prof . Talip Küçükcan said that the 15 July coup attempt was distinct from prior military interventions in terms of the intensity of the violence utilised and the fact that the nation rose up for democracy under the leadership of its political leaders.
Taking the floor next, Prof . Erman Akıllı noted that democracy is one of Türkiye's paramount sources of soft power internationally, highlighting that the social opposition exhibited on 15 July was the most potent expression of democratic legitimacy and national will.
Then Dr. Muhammad Syaroni Rofii took the floor, saying that the July 15 coup attempt was predominantly perceived in the global public domain through the lens established by foreign news agencies; nonetheless, Türkiye significantly contributed to regional stability by upholding its democratic framework, and the growing defence industry and advanced technology cooperation between Indonesia and Türkiye also added a strategic dimension to the two countries' bilateral relations.
As the last speaker of the panel, Dr. Deden Mauli Darajat noted that his educational experiences in Türkiye demonstrated that each democracy evolves according to its unique historical and social dynamics, and underscored that Türkiye's commitment to strengthening its democratic institutions and social cohesion is crucial to maintaining the constitutional order.
The programme also featured a photo exhibition on the 15 July coup attempt, which was presented for participants to visit.
The programme ended with the screening of the film “15/07 Break of Dawn.”
