Director of Communications Prof. Fahrettin Altun gave an interview to Lacivert magazine on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of the nation’s victory in the face of the July 15 coup attempt.
We are marking the fourth anniversary of July 15. What do you think the coup attempt on the night of July 15 and the resistance against this coup mean, and what does it represent for Turkey?
Undoubtedly, the most important aspect of July 15 was that our nation repulsed the coup attempt of FETO members, who had infiltrated into the army, by their own will under the leadership of our President. This is an unprecedented victory for the world as well as for Turkey. July 15 is the announcement that “Turkey's political history is the history of coups” thesis, which I believe is deliberately used to suggest that the coups are normal for Turkey, has now been refuted.
The nation’s epic struggle on July 15 became a new milestone for the political history of Turkey. The civil resistance on July 15 gained an authentic characteristic when the role assigned to Turkey by dark forces was shattered by the hands of the nation. That night, the nation protected its liberty, independence, and democracy upon the call of its leader, declaring that the sovereignty belonged to the nation.
Another specialty about July 15 is that the nation caught the putschist terrorists in the act and brought them to justice. This turns out to be very significant when we consider that the perpetrators of the previous coups not only dimmed the future of the nation but also went unpunished. With its resistance on July 15, our nation protected its own will, democracy, and leader while preserving the reputation of politics.
On the other hand, July 15 revealed that the need for a change in the administration system of the state should now be addressed. While the administration systems changes in favour of the putschists and pro-junta groups after the military coups around the world, the administration system changed in favour of the nation with the Presidential Government System after the failed coup attempt of July 15.
How do you think the popular resistance that stopped the coup attempt should be analysed in terms of its causes, consequences, and its place in the history of coups?
Major social events had been planned on the path to the past coups. The stones of this path leading to July 15 were paved with betrayal attempts such as FETO’s 17/25 December judicial coup, MIT trucks conspiracy, and Gezi protest. Our President and the AK Party governments have been engaged in a determined struggle since the first days of FETO’s betrayals. As usual, our nation was the only supporter of this struggle.
July 15 went down in history not only in Turkey but also in the world as a coup attempt prevented by the nation as they took to the streets. With this victory, we taught the whole world a democracy lesson. That night the world saw a brave nation that fearlessly stood against tanks and weapons when their homeland, flag, and state is at stake. The struggle that our nation put up at the risk of their lives ruined all the plans of coup plotters.
July 15 was not just a coup attempt but also an invasion attempt. We didn’t allow it. We showed that no power could shatter a believing and close-knit nation. This was the spirit during the Gallipoli War and the War of Independence. This victory has surely inspired and served as a model for the peoples who are struggling and will struggle against all kinds of occupation and oppression.
How should we view the indifference of international organs and media to the unprecedented resistance of the civilians on July 15, compared to the Arab Spring, Wall Street occupation, Yellow Vests, Hong Kong student resistance and the rise of the black people in the USA, which have been popularized quite rapidly on a global scale?
Their broadcasts, certainly, are part of a strategy. Their purpose is to prevent Turkey from strengthening, pursuing independent policies, fully reflecting national will on the country’s administration and leading the countries within its cultural geography.
The struggle on July 15 was also the fight between those hopeful for the future of Turkey and others pinning their hopes on other countries. In this sense, we would not expect the media with a broadcasting policy focused on animosity towards Turkey to properly cover this struggle anyway.
When it comes to Turkey, they have always been on the side of the centers of tutelage and juntas instead of democracy and the elected government. We have seen this approach in their publications from July 15 onwards. We had witnessed that they looked for people “who could criticize the actions of the government” even in that period.
Overlooking how the ringleader of FETO masterminded the organization and how they carried out terrorist attacks in the country, the Western media went too far with its deceptions that they tried to stigmatize our citizens who took to the streets on July 15 for their country.
Under the leadership of our President, rapid breakthroughs, modernization, and developments in every field have also led the foes of Turkey to take action.
The foes of Turkey have become alarmed as the civil politics in Turkey has strengthened, democracy has gained value, and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has become the symbol of all these. When local and national elements started to manage the organizations they had slowly and stealthily infiltrated in years, the so-called impartial Western media has aggravated its attack in its publications.
It is hard to believe that the July 15 coup attempt was only an internal issue. What kind of a game do you think the July 15 coup attempt was in a regional and international context, is it possible to name the forces behind it?
The July 15 coup attempt was undoubtedly an attempt to siege Turkey. Global power centres want Turkey to become a country that is reserved, passive in its region, dependent on the IMF for its economy, has no technology and defense industry, non-producing, and unable to breakthrough because of dealing with all kinds of terrorism. Breakthroughs after 2002, democratization efforts, domestic and national defense move, closing the debt to the IMF, political and economic stability extremely disturbed these power centres.
To cut off the elected government that has carried all these developments into effect, centres of tutelage got involved. FETO, PKK, DAESH and DHKP-C terrorist organizations were brought into play. They resorted to means like Gezi events, judicial coup on December 17/25, MIT (Turkish National Intelligence) trucks plot, trench terrorism. They carried out economic attacks.
The July 15 coup attempt was also an invasion move embarked by FETO with the support of foreign and global powers. Once they realized they could design Turkey as before, and the events they scripted and brought into action through their inside pawns failed to cease the steps of our country, they then attempted the bloody coup via FETO militants they had been feeding underhand for 40 years and used actively in every field.
Those who made their side obvious with the statements and broadcast in the first hours of the coup attempt strived to depict the coup plotters as victims in the following days. These clearly showed who was guided by FETO.
Those countries that supported FETO used this organization effectively not only in Turkey but also in the Middle East, Asian and African countries. Realizing that, Turkey warned and continues to warn the countries in which FETO is effective since the day one.
It is of course very difficult for an organization to attempt a coup in a country with purely internal dynamics. We know really well of those who, instead of stating their support for the legitimate government in Turkey, decided on their course of action by waiting for the morning to see who would win on July 15, and did not condemn the coup attempt even after days.
What has thwarting of the coup attempt and the post-coup period changed in Turkey? What has it changed in domestic and foreign affairs? Which subjects and fields gained what kind of momentum?
Following July 15, it was observed more clearly how FETO had contaminated every field, especially the bureaucracy and the military, in Turkey. What kind of network FETO established with parallel state structuring and how it tried to bypass the legitimate state organization was revealed. It was seen that in this period, FETO, with its structuring in bureaucracy, media and NGOs, prevented the solution of the real problems of the country, crippled the fight against terrorism and wasted the energy of the country with artificial agendas.
With the cleansing of FETO that gained speed after July 15, Turkey was able to focus on its main issues. Many breakthrough moves ranging from politics to the economy, from foreign policy to the fight against terrorism followed one after another.
Not only FETO but all the other tutelage centres prevented Turkey from developing by creating artificial fear propaganda for years. Upon tackling FETO effectively, all tutelage elements have lost their areas of influence. We have witnessed on this platform formed after repelling tutelage centres and FETO that contaminated the stage of politics, how the domestic and national elements that met on the common ground that is Turkey engaged with the real issues of the country and society, and the power and synergy created by generating solutions for these issues. With our President’s visionary point of view, a positive ground for restructuring became available for Turkey.
Significant achievements have been made in the past 4 years. With the will of the nation, the demand for the restructuring of the state was achieved. Presidential Government System was one of the most important changes of this period. The state of the Republic of Turkey has become a state much more powerful with the new government system where the will of the nation is the sole power.
With its strong political will, determination to end terrorism at its source, it has determined a strategy to combat terrorism effectively against FETO, PKK, and DAESH, and very significant achievements have been accomplished.
There are still those who think that the extent of FETO's attempts to infiltrate the public has been exaggerated. After 4 years of investigation and prosecution, to what extent had FETO leaked and structured in the public?
It is our President who has been pursuing and following the fight against FETO from the very beginning. Unfortunately, we have seen those who ignored the FETO threat due to their hostile attitude towards our President, and those who have shielded themselves in front of the fight against this terrorist organization.
This insidious organization had organized itself in many institutions and organizations of the state, particularly politics, public administration, courthouse, military, the police, and the media and NGOs for 40 years. Of course, the size of a microbe that ran so far into the capillaries of the state organization was huge. However, with the effective struggle, the insidious and bloody plan of FETO has been and continues to be nullified.
As with any terrorist organization, the fight against FETO continues resolutely. Our struggle will continue until the last FETO militant is sentenced to the punishment he deserves. Members of this treacherous terrorist organization have intricate relationships with other organizations. It is not possible to determine the ratio of the organization exposed with the data revealed up to date. This is because we can still find hidden cells which are brought to light with new operations.
The lies produced from a single center where the Gulenists caught red-handed in the July 15 coup attempt to hide their betrayals and murders also show how organized these terrorists are. Unfortunately, underestimating the extent of the 40-year-old structuring of an organization organized in such a way in prisons would hamper the struggle.
Another important aspect of the fight against FETO is, of course, the international structuring of this organization. At this point, necessary steps continue to be taken through diplomatic and legal means.
While some people glorify the July 15 resistance, there are those who criticize and try to discredit them even in the fourth year. For example, after July 15, such criticisms were among the main arguments of the opposition that the judiciary came under the control of the power, the army was evacuated, the parliament was neutralized, law was bypassed via the state of emergency and the Decree Laws, and the government became authoritarian. How would you answer them?
I find it meaningful that these discourses are similar to the arguments of FETO. Those fractions that act solely with the motive of "opposition to Erdoğan", cannot develop a vision for Turkey's future, has not been and will obviously not be any good for the people, try to distort our fight against FETO and lengthen it with disinformation.
After July 15, we have seen more clearly how this sneaky organization was organized in courthouses, the police, bureaucracy and diplomacy. Letting a gap in one of these areas will harm the entire struggle, and will cause the militants of this organization to take up position again.
It should be noted that the fight against FETO is a security issue for Turkey. Unfair and distorted comments can never discourage us from our commitment to fight FETO.
While the intervention to certain street protests in the West require the declaration of a state of emergency, it is unreasonable to criticize the declaration of a state of emergency in Turkey in the period when a fight is put up against a terrorist organization in the aftermath of a bloody coup attempt.
Freedom of the press was among the concepts highly abused by FETO. They still pursue similar black propagandas at home and abroad. We will continue our fight against them without giving any credit to them.
Would it be possible to easily say that a military coup will not take place ever again, with reference to the victory won in the July 15 pushback and the steps taken in its aftermath?
As our President puts it loud and clear, the era of coups is over in this country. Our nation showed on July 15 to the coup dreamers what would be the consequence of such an attempt. Our government has taken, and continues to take, every necessary measure against such a threat. We will not give opportunity to any kind of coup or attack. We have a long way ahead of us. We will keep walking towards our goals by strengthening our democracy and making our economy robust.
The objective of the July 15 attempt was in fact to create a Turkey where Erdoğan did not exist. All these plans were designed to that end, but a power that we can describe as "the Spirit of the July 15" set all those plans upside down. How should we interpret and tell people about that spirit on its fourth anniversary?
The main objectives of FETO and the powers behind them in the July 15 coup attempt were motivated by their dream of "a Turkey without Erdoğan". A Turkey without our President would have been exactly the kind of Turkey the enemies of our country desire. This is because they were after a Turkey without goals, easily ruled, calibrated by centres of tutelage, and whose nation's will could be directed by the media.
This nation fully felt how it was to unite together around a leader on July 15. Our nation clearly demonstrated that protecting the state meant protecting Erdoğan, and standing by his side meant protecting the state on July 15.
The spirit of resistance on July 15 takes its roots from far back in history. Such a resistance lies in the fabric of our nation and it was our President who made it broke out. This spirit was the same spirit when we were entering into Anatolia in 1071, beating the walls of Constantinople in 1453, running the artillery shells in the barrels in Çanakkale in 1915, and inaugurating the Grand National Assembly of Turkey with prayers in 1920. Now, we are walking toward our goals for 2023, 2053, and 2071, without losing that spirit and state of heart. Our President also reaffirms his faith in the youth in this regard in every speech he delivers.
On the other hand, we have to witness that those who do not share the same feelings with the nation and appeal to such spirit fail to understand the resistance shown on July 15. What falls upon us as a duty is to defend the noble memories of those who sacrificed their lives for homeland against the non-nationalistic elements and the enemies of Turkey. We will not allow the nation's rise-up and resistance to be forgotten, and we will always keep the spirit of July 15 alive. Our nation, nor the history, will forgive and forget those who downplay and ridicule that resistance and undermine our struggle, and their collaborators.
It is unfortunate that some circles have emerged over the last four years after the July 15 who have tried to dishonour such an epic resistance. Our nation, who put up that honourable resistance on July 15, later has fought a great fight against the attempts to dishonour such honourable stance. Thank Allah, the spirit of July 15 was what always came out as prevailing. Telling people about our struggle and resistance at every place and time is a debt we primarily owe to our martyrs.
In short, in your opinion, what did the July 15 resistance show to us and what did it prove?
Our President's words on the night of July 15, "I have not recognized any power superior to the nation's power", showed to us, and enabled us to clearly understand, that no obstacle could exist to block the way of the nation's will. The resistance put up on July 15 tell us about a victory won by our country and nation under the leadership of our President. We are able to look more confidently and hopefully to the future thanks to this struggle of ours we sustain based on national will.
Our greatest strength in this way is our unity and solidarity. We will continue keeping alive our martyrs' memories, who have sacrificed their lives on July 15, and telling about the heroism of our veterans and the upright stance of our nation.
You as the Directorate of Communications have taken very important steps to strengthen the relation between the state and the public. The fact, a small and simple step, that you share on your Twitter account the messages and applications submitted to the Presidency's Communication Centre (CİMER) have deflected criticisms directed at the state being unreachable. Would you share details of what you plan to do this year as the Directorate of Communications?
We as the Directorate of Communications make every effort to carry out activities at home and abroad as would suit the rise of our country. In this direction, we conduct many activities that can be categorized under four functions such as ensuring coordination of the state's communication and establishing a coherence, or unity, of discourse, setting the standards in public communication for public institutions and organizations, carrying out public diplomacy activities, and creating a quality media environment. Managing and maintaining the relation between our nation and our state is also among our critical duties.
As you will remember, the authority to coordinate the Commemorative Activities relating to the July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day is vested in the Directorate of Communications. Our units and departments work to ensure that a general communication strategy is developed, activities are carried out effectively and efficiently, communication channels are put in place, and activities are coordinated for the commemoration programs.
We felt the need that independent commemorative activities carried out by public institutions and non-governmental organizations had to be carried out as would suit the meaning and importance of the July 15 within the framework of a holistic and integrated communication strategy and through effective coordination. To this end, firstly, a guideline in its nature, "Communication Strategy for Activities Paper", was developed. It ensures that the ministries, public institutions and organizations, universities, and non-governmental organizations come together and carry out commemorative activities, as would fit the spirit of July 15, that are able to embrace all segments of the society.
A "July 15 Projects Follow-up System" was designed within our Directorate for the follow-up and coordination of commemorative events relating to July 15. Through this system, we follow digitally the preparation, implementation, and evaluation processes of the projects. I would like to share a noteworthy number at this point. Last year, there were a total of 1,500 events relating to July 15 at home and abroad, and this year, as we see, the number is in the vicinity of 3,000. Our focus is surely not on the quantity only; we sensitively observe to ensure that such events are fit in their nature to the spirit of July 15 in a way to reflect its meaning.
In addition, our Directorate also works to prepare a July 15 Coordination and Communication Kit, containing all materials that may be needed in the entire process by partner institutions and organizations.
Moreover, our Directorate makes available, online on its July 15 Portal, corporate identity and visual materials, logos, banners and posters, photographs, videos, infographics, short films, and animations for use in July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day Commemorative Events. Furthermore, our Directorate itself carries out about 30 large-scale projects relating to July 15. We will also share these with our nation step by step.
Our goal is to ensure that our great nation's epic resistance against the massacre and treason perpetuated by FETO members on July 15 is not forgotten and that the importance of this victory for our present and future is kept alive and fresh in our minds.