Erdoğan vows no retreat in FETÖ fight on July 15 coup's 10th anniversary

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan emphasized in his message on the 10th anniversary of the July 15 coup attempt that the fight against FETÖ will continue within the law.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, "The true intention of the treason network that exploited our nation's sincere feelings for 40 years by saying 'service,' 'charity,' and 'education' was revealed on the night of July 15. However, the successful repulsion of the coup attempt through the resistance of our noble nation opened a brand new page for Türkiye."

The AK Party Political and Legal Affairs Directorate organized a symposium titled 'The July 15 Coup Attempt in Its Tenth Year: Political and Legal Dimensions' at the party headquarters. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sent a written message to the symposium.

In his message, Erdoğan congratulated the Political and Legal Affairs Directorate and all those who contributed to organizing this important symposium where the treacherous July 15 coup attempt will be examined from different angles, and said, "I hope that the ideas and statements presented at the symposium, and the evaluations made here, will further strengthen our unity and solidarity, and clearly and unequivocally demonstrate how the July 15 uprising was the product of an insidious structure." Commemorating each of the 253 martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the independence of the state and the future of the nation on the night of July 15, Erdoğan also expressed his gratitude to the heroic veterans and wished them all a blessed and healthy life.

The true intention was revealed on the night of July 15

President Erdoğan stated: "The true intention of the treason network that exploited our nation's sincere feelings for 40 years by saying 'service,' 'charity,' and 'education' was revealed on the night of July 15. However, the successful repulsion of the coup attempt through the resistance of our noble nation opened a brand new page for Türkiye.

Türkiye has both rid itself of an insidious terrorist organization that had infiltrated the capillaries of the state and taken steps to secure its democracy. Undoubtedly, the foremost of these is our new governance system. With the Presidential Government System, our nation's nearly two-century-long search for a governance model has found its answer.

Thanks to the new system, which eliminates dual-headedness, accelerates decision-making processes, and increases the effectiveness of the state, Türkiye's resilience to shocks has increased, its political stability has become institutionalized, and its crisis management capacity has strengthened as never before.

The advantages provided by the new system for our country have been evident in every field, from the Russia-Ukraine war to the coronavirus pandemic, from healing the wounds of the February 6 earthquakes to the latest Iran-centered crisis. As a state and nation, we are determined to preserve these historic gains and elevate Türkiye to the levels it deserves.

As for the fight against FETÖ, we will never take a step back and will continue our struggle within the law against this treason network that acts as a subcontractor for Türkiye's enemies. We will work with all our might to prevent new July 15s from occurring.

The hero of the epic written that night is our noble nation

AK Party Deputy Chairman Hayati Yazıcı, speaking at the symposium, said, "July 15 is one of the clearest manifestations of the historic struggle between democracy and tutelage, law and arms, national will and the junta mentality."

Stating that the July 15 coup attempt was the heaviest, most treacherous, and bloodiest coup attempt Türkiye has faced in its political history, Yazıcı said, "July 15 is the name of the vile and brutal coup attempt by the FETÖ terrorist organization that directly targeted our nation, the Republic of Türkiye, our esteemed President, our government, our flag, our homeland, and our country."

Yazıcı noted that the night of July 15 was a night of atrocity in every aspect, "But at the same time, it is the name of a blessed resistance where the chains intended to shackle the nation's will were shattered, the barrels aimed at democracy were silenced by the courage of our nation, and the dark scenarios targeting our independence were defeated.

With the call of our Chairman and President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 'I invite our nation to the squares,' millions of our citizens took to the streets without any hesitation and protected and defended our sacred homeland and glorious flag at the cost of their lives. The hero of the epic written that night is our noble nation, our blessed martyrs, and our heroic veterans.

That night, our nation demonstrated in an unparalleled way how deeply it has internalized democracy."

The source of the state's legitimacy is the national will

Pointing to the constitutional provision that 'Sovereignty belongs unconditionally to the nation,' Yazıcı said, "The source of the state's legitimacy is the national will. It is the strongest democratic principle declaring that no power or tutelage center can be above the national will. This principle is the most unshakable guarantee of our common stance against any intervention targeting the nation's will and our commitment to democracy."

Yazıcı underlined that AK Party governments, under the leadership of President Erdoğan, have acted with great awareness and responsibility in the face of events that bypass the national will, regardless of the circumstances, and said, "The coming together of millions of our citizens on common ground that night is one of the most important gains of Turkish democracy."

Pointing out that AK Party organizations are the most vivid representatives of the strong bond established between the nation and the state, Yazıcı emphasized that they reinforced this strong stance without a moment's hesitation in suppressing the coup attempt and through the democracy watches that followed.

Yazıcı stated that the AK Party has been a political movement that derives its strength from the nation since its establishment, and said, "Our party was founded shoulder to shoulder with our nation. The AK Party's compass has always been on the side of the nation. Whatever trial our nation has faced, our organizations have always stood by our nation and will continue to do so.

With its foresight, sagacity, and common sense, our nation has shown the whole world what a noble nation it is and that democracy is defended not only at the ballot box but, when necessary, at the cost of one's life."

It must be our common responsibility to provide our country with a civilian, democratic social contract

Yazıcı said, "The greatest responsibility that falls upon us is not only to commemorate July 15 but to keep that spirit alive, strengthen our unity and solidarity, uphold the national will under all circumstances, and pass on this sacred trust to future generations." He added that the spirit of July 15 is the name not just of one night but of the unshakable will of a nation that never compromises on its independence. AK Party Deputy Chairman Yazıcı stated: "We are not here today merely to commemorate the anniversary of a great betrayal we experienced ten years ago. We must also remember and never forget the historic responsibility that night has placed upon us.

Just as we must repel and defeat coups, we must also put an end to the mechanisms and practices produced by the coup mentality. Tutelage mechanisms, practices that limit the national will, and the institutional legacy created by coup plotters are also necessities that must be eliminated.

In this context, we believe that the issue of a new and civilian constitution is a historic debt of loyalty that must be fulfilled to our noble nation, which put its life on the line on the night of July 15. It must be our common responsibility to rid our country of the shame of a coup constitution and provide it with a completely new, civilian, democratic, and libertarian social contract.

It is certainly unacceptable that Türkiye is still governed by a constitution that bears the traces of coup periods."

On the night of July 15, our nation sent a very clear message

Noting that the 1982 Constitution is dominated not by a will to expand freedoms but by an understanding that opens the door to tutelage centers, Yazıcı said, "On the night of July 15, our nation sent a very clear message: The true owner of this state is the nation. Only the nation decides the future of this country.

The duty of all political parties should be to carry the democracy epic written by our nation in the squares to the constitutional ground. The new constitution, which will center the national will, will be our greatest support as we build the Century of Türkiye."

Yazıcı emphasized that Türkiye is no longer a country steered by coups but one that charts its course through the nation's will, and said, "In the second century of our Republic, our goal must be to build the Century of Türkiye more strongly with a civilian and inclusive constitution that erases the traces of tutelage, guarantees rights and freedoms, and derives its legitimacy directly from the nation."

Yazıcı stated that as the AK Party Political and Legal Affairs Directorate, they organized this symposium to examine the coup attempt from political and legal perspectives, to present the experience of the struggle against tutelage in order to strengthen democratic memory, and to produce a political and legal perspective for the future. He said, "We attach great importance to the institutional transfer of this noble stance displayed against the July 15 coup attempt, which was thwarted by the historic call of our President, the courage of our noble nation, and the glorious resistance, into political memory." Yazıcı expressed his belief that the evaluations to be made here today will make valuable contributions to Türkiye's democratic accumulation.

The symposium will continue with speeches by İsmail Kahraman, who served as the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly on the night of July 15, as well as former Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, former Interior Minister Efkan Ala, and AK Party Headquarters Organization Chairman Mustafa Ataş. That night, we only thought of the homeland.