The Albania part of the webinar series “15 Panels on July 15”, organized by the Directorate of Communications, was streamed online.
Moderated by Turkish Press Counsellor in Athens Duygu Leloğlu, the panel entitled “Public Opinion in Albania on July 15 Coup Attempt: Does FETO continue with their activities?” and held via video conferencing method was attended by Turkish Ambassador to Tirana Murat Ahmet Yörük, retired Albanian Ambassador Abdi Baleta and director and author Armand Bora.
Stating in his speech that FETO terrorist organisation had been spinning its net since the 1970s, Ambassador Yörük underlined that at the beginning, FETO introduced itself as an innocent humanitarian and educational movement, but later showed its true colour.
Indicating that the Turkish people took to the streets in cities across the country on the night of July 15, defending democracy that is a global value, he continued as:
“The Turkish people believe that the protection of democracy and constitutional order is their primary duty. Aware of the impending danger, Turkish citizens answered the call of President Erdoğan who, at that time, had been voted by the majority of Turkish people, and did not hesitate to sacrifice their lives for Turkey's democratic system and constitutional order even for a moment.”
Saying that FETO had a presence in many countries, Yörük stated that it aimed to infiltrate the governments and expand its influence in the economy, judiciary, and politics.
Friendly people of our countries will not fall into FETO’s traps
Pointing out that FETO was trying to survive with activities abroad after July 15, Yörük commented, “We continue to warn our friends. I have been working in Albania for more than two and a half years. I have observed that awareness towards FETO has increased in Albania. Particularly in the last 2-3 years, many fractions in the Albanian society have become more alert and voiced their opinion about the existence of this terrorist and criminal organisation in the country.”
Yörük, who said that the Albanian people prayed for the victory of the Turkish people against the coup plotters on the night of July 15, emphasized that the country's power, opposition, NGOs and citizens expressed their support and solidarity towards the Turkish people's resistance after the failed coup attempt.
Pointing out that FETO will continue to poison the relations between the two countries, Yörük said, “However, neither our governments nor our friendly people will fall into these traps of FETO.”
Expressing that FETO would not be able to shade the bilateral relations between the two countries, no matter how hard it tried, Yörük said, “When they build up in a country, they open schools, start their businesses, establish foundations, NGOs and media institutions. These FETO members and FETO-affiliated people and groups have nothing to do with Turkish and Islamic values. When it comes to earning their own money to finance terrorist activities in Turkey, they use a kind of rhetoric to indicate as if they have very strong ties with Turkey and Islamic values.”
Turkey is important not just for itself but also for us Albanians
Former Albanian Ambassador Baleta shared the view that they did not hear the expression “FETO” in Albania until the July 15 coup attempt and said that they learned this after July 15.
Expressing that understanding what happened in Turkey on that day took time for Albania, Baleta reminded that Turkey had the right to warn Albania against FETO threat and noted the following:
“Our officials are sometimes reluctant to take measures. Our officials, society, press, and television channels are under the pressure of human rights advocacy groups worldwide. That is the reason behind the situation in Albania. But this does not mean that we fail to understand the Turkish government and state’s right to take measures and warn their friends against dangers. It will take time to do and understand certain things. There is a need for joint efforts on both parts to provide explanations in a patient manner. We do not want to be misunderstood in this regard, not even a little.”
Baleta recalled that the Turkish history had many coups and attempts in that direction, and said, “The last one surprised us. We believe that the stability in Turkey is strong. Following the elections, Prime Minister and President Erdoğan took measures to ensure stability in all spheres of social life in Turkey. Honestly, I was not expecting something like that to happen again. But it happened. It was a coup in the classical sense. The military against the elected government... When I speak of the military, I only refer to a certain segment of the Armed Forces.”
Noting that Turkey was important not only for itself but also for Albanians and the region, Baleta stated, “I am afraid that the FETO risk will double through the agencies of the Balkan countries, non-Balkan countries, and NATO member states. There are a great many circles in Albania who want to disrupt the good relations between Albanians and Turks.”
Baleta expressed that FETO was not an issue as easy as it was thought, and commented, “Some people in Albania think that FETO is merely a noise, while some others think that a major danger is approaching. They want us to only focus on maintaining the good relations with Turkey. We, on the other hand, want to strengthen our relations with Turkey because we need it.”
Director and author Bora said that it was difficult to make any comments on July 15, when there were 251 martyrs and over 2 thousand injured, and they were not indifferent to it, and added, “July 15 has a place in modern Turkish history.”
Underscoring that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's administration model was a rare and special one in today's politics, Bora said, “You know how the saying goes, 'People are led by a leader that they deserve'. But I do not agree with it. I rather believe that people follow their leader. They act the way their leader acts. In this sense, a citizen may claim responsibility only to the extent that their leader does so.”
Noting that there was a great FETO presence in Albania, Bora said, “Honestly, I did not know much about FETO and its activities before July 15. After July 15, the issue of FETO became clearer in our society thanks to the timely and accurate information.”
Bora held that FETO had a strategy, and said, “A different strategy is required to fight against such a strategy; coordination is needed, collaboration is needed, and access to media is needed. We need to tell the truth to people. It would be great if you are ready to do it in Albania.”
When asked whether or not he was threatened by FETO because of the articles he penned, Bora said that he was indeed threatened, but indirectly rather than directly.