Our Directorate organised a panel titled "July 15: Türkiye's Victory of Democracy" in Berlin, the capital of Germany.
Prof Ulrich Brückner, lecturer at the Free University of Berlin and Stanford University; journalist and politician Christoph Hörstel; Assoc. Prof. Hüseyin Alptekin from the National Defence University; and Kaan Kutlu Ataç, PhD, from Mersin University, attended the panel as speakers.
Hörstel, who worked as a journalist for the television channel ARD in Germany for fourteen years, stated that the US involvement in the July 15 coup attempt could not be denied.
Stating that the ARD channel reported that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan "escaped" on the night of the coup attempt, Hörstel said, "It is unacceptable that ARD reported that Erdoğan escaped that night. This is an embarrassing situation for Germany."
Arguing that the director of the coup attempt, Adil Öksüz, was in Germany, Hörstel noted that FETO's perception of Germany as a "safe haven" was negative for the country.
Expressing people in Türkiye welcomed the robust presidency, which is unique in the world, Hörstel remarked, "We see the power that the Turkish people have within them. Terrorists shall not win. These are crucial for a nation's future. It was crucial for a country's future and security that the people took to the streets and said, "We are here," "We are here for our president, for our country."
Emphasising that President Erdoğan looks out for the interests of his own people, Hörstel said, “I would like to warn Europe that unless we learn from this, we will not have a future. When I consider what President Erdoğan has done for his people, I see the future of the country under guarantee. He will serve as a role model for numerous countries around the world."
Noting that democracy must be constantly defended, political scientist Prof Brückner stated, "Democracy is not merely the plaques of political systems hanging on the door."
Brückner recalled that Germany had to make significant progress from the Nazi era to the current system.
The German academic also noted that he welcomed Türkiye's call to revitalise relations with the European Union (EU).
"The fact that they killed 252 people in a single night shows that FETO is a terrorist organisation"
Political scientist Assoc Prof Alptekin also spoke about FETO: "They killed 252 people in a single night. That is enough to classify it as a terrorist organisation. This was not just another coup attempt, and this latest attempt was unlike previous coups in Türkiye. In addition to military officials, dismissed security officers also participated in this attempt. They had been dismissed for being FETO members. On the morning of the coup attempt, these people were found within the tanks."
Expressing that the problem for Türkiye is that some countries still do not recognise FETO as a terrorist organisation, Alptekin said:
"Especially the US and Western European countries... Worse still, they welcome FETO members as refugees in their own countries. They are opening their doors to FETO members. When FETO members want to visit these countries, it is almost as if they have free tickets. According to a certain report, 14 thousand FETO members fled to Germany and received refugee status. They even have their own refugee support organisations here. They take in those who have fled and assist them with orientation, legal procedures, and finding jobs. This is a major issue. FETO lost in Türkiye. All their resources are gone. They are no longer able to lure new members. FETO lost inside Türkiye. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation listed FETO as a terrorist organisation, but there are still problems with the West and Germany. FETO is being revived here. They damage these relationships as well. They are trying to forge public opinion with falsehood and fabrication."
Calling to mind that more than 200 FETO members have been extradited to Türkiye from abroad to date, Alptekin indicated that they would like to see this cooperation with Germany and the US as well.
International relations expert Ataç, PhD, stated that Türkiye demonstrated that its army had the strength and experience to carry out international operations despite the coup attempt on July 15.
Stating that Türkiye has the power to carry out overseas operations, Ataç said, "This is important in terms of redefining Türkiye's national security. One year after the failed coup attempt, Türkiye has become a rising power centre beyond being a regional power."
Stating that Türkiye has succeeded in eliminating a structure like FETO, Ataç said that Turkish society was always ready to defend and embrace democracy.
Fahrettin Altun sent a video message
In the video message he sent to the panel, Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun emphasised that FETO was a global terrorist organisation.
Noting that the groups that claim to be Türkiye's friends and allies failed that test on that particular night, Director of Communications Altun said that the state continues to fight FETO.
The "July 15 National Will and Democracy Exhibition," comprised of photographs captured by Anadolu Agency on the night of the coup attempt on July 15, 2016, and its aftermath, was also displayed at the panel.
"Significant steps have been taken to prevent the organisation's sphere of influence abroad"
During his speech before the panel, Türkiye's Ambassador to Berlin Ahmet Başar Şen stated that the FETO issue was not taken seriously by German and European public opinion.
Expressing his expectation from Germany regarding the July 15 coup attempt, Şen emphasised that FETO was a new-generation terrorist organisation.
Pointing out the importance of eliminating FETO structures abroad, Şen said, "One of the issues we stressed to our interlocutors was that FETO could become a security issue for them as well. Significant steps have been taken to prevent the organisation's sphere of influence abroad."
Pointing out that some countries have begun listing FETO as a terrorist organisation, Şen said, "We regret to see that this is not the case in Germany. Germany has become the country that hosts the leading members of FETO. FETO sees Germany and Europe as safe havens."
Noting that they constantly bring FETO to the agenda in international meetings, Şen said, "We expect our friends to join us in the fight against FETO. So far, our extradition requests have yielded no results. This affects our bilateral relations negatively, and the organisation poses a danger to Germany. The hidden structures of the organisation also pose a threat to Germany and Europe. We expect support from Germany and Europe in the fight against terrorism."
