Our Directorate held a panel titled "July 15: Türkiye’s Victory of Democracy" in Paris, the capital of France.
Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun sent a video message to the panel, which was moderated by Assoc Prof Kılıç Buğra Kanat, Washington Research Director of the SETA Foundation, and featured speakers Saadet Oruç, Chief Advisor to the President, Prof Özden Zeynep Oktav, who works at the Department of International Relations at Istanbul Medeniyet University, Prof Çağrı Erhan, Altınbaş University Rector, Editor Jacek Przybylski, International Relations Expert, and journalist Josephine Dedet from the Jeune Afrique magazine.
Oruç, who began her speech by commemorating those who were martyred on July 15, 2016, recalled that the first information received that day was that the Bosphorus Bridge (July 15 Martyrs Bridge) was blocked by the soldiers.
Oruç said, "People could not imagine that we could experience such an event in this modern age, and the possibility of a coup seemed very far from our democracy."
Recalling that tanks were patrolling the streets of major cities on July 15 and that the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye was bombarded during the coup attempt, Oruç emphasised that the citizens took to the streets upon President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's call that day and the people lying in front of the tanks did not give way to the putschists.
Saadet Oruç said, "The general level of democracy in Türkiye rose that night."
Recalling that the US private intelligence agency Stratfor shared the route of President Erdogan's plane on the night of the coup, Oruç said, "Instead of defending Türkiye, its President and its people, some European media and leaders chose to side with the coup plotters."
Oruç said, "Türkiye, together with its people, gave a lesson to the world on the night of July 15."
Dedet, a French journalist working on Türkiye-Africa relations, mentioned that the terrorist organisation FETO had a significant presence in Africa in 2016, when the coup attempt took place, and stated that FETO had about 100 schools in 36 African countries.
Josephine Dedet recalled that African countries jointly condemned the coup attempt in Türkiye and that in 2017, 14 countries in the continent signed a protocol to shut down FETO's schools.
Pointing out that approximately 10 FETO schools were still open in Africa, Dedet said, "The failure of the coup attempt did not impact the continuation and deepening of relations between the continent and Türkiye."
In addition, Jacek Przybylski remarked, "The coup failed because hundreds of thousands of Turks took to the streets and said 'no' to it," and emphasised that the armed forces could not tell the people who would rule the country.
Stating that the citizens pushed back the coup plotters from strategic points such as the airports and media buildings on July 15, Przybylski recalled that Turkish political parties condemned the coup attempt one hour after it began.
"The Turkish people's belief in democracy was the most important thing," Przybylski said, adding that the era of military coups came to an end for Türkiye on that day.
Reminding that this year was the 100th anniversary of the Republic, Çağrı Erhan said, "This year, the Turkish people now see that they have a 100-year republic."
Erhan stated that Türkiye suffered greatly from military coups throughout its history, pointing out that the coup on July 15, 2016, was the only one that was stopped.
Pointing out that FETO has a hybrid structure, Erhan said there was evidence that the coup plotters planned their actions well in advance.
Erhan explained that FETO members expelled those who were not members of their group from the armed forces through a series of lawsuits and placed their own personnel in key positions in the navy and air forces.
"FETO is a threat not only to Turkish democracy but also to global peace and stability," said Erhan, emphasising the importance of international cooperation to combat it.
Weighing in on the extraordinary nature of the coup attempt on July 15, Özden Zeynep Oktav highlighted that both Russia and Iran sided with President Erdoğan that day.
Recalling that the terrorist organisation FETO ringleader Fetullah Gülen was still in the USA, Oktav remarked that this weakened the relations between Türkiye and the US.
The "July 15 National Will and Democracy Exhibition," comprised of photographs captured by Anadolu Agency (AA) on the night of the coup attempt on July 15, 2016, and its aftermath, was also displayed at the panel.
