Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş said in her opening speech at the “The Will Is Ours, the Victory Is Ours: 15 July” panel held at the Information and Communication Technologies Authority that they had gathered to understand and remember once again the great epic written by those who courageously confronted the darkness.
Göktaş said 15 July was the name of the night when the Fetullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ)’s dark ambitions were defeated by light, treachery by loyalty and fear by courage. She said that the will rising from the nation’s own ranks that night showed that only the nation itself could determine its own destiny.
Wishing that 15 July Democracy and National Unity Day would bring beneficial results, Minister Göktaş commemorated with mercy the revered martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the homeland and expressed her gratitude to the veterans.
“Keeping the spirit of 15 July alive in our memories is a national duty for all of us”
Recalling that 10 years had passed since the coup attempt, Göktaş emphasized that the course of history had changed that night and said:
“At the call of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, our nation united around a common ideal. It stood before tanks and bullets. It defended its homeland, flag and future.
It showed the entire world that it recognized no power above the national will. That is why 15 July is not an ordinary date. 15 July is the great victory won by courage over fear, the will over treachery, and the nation over all dark schemes. As our President put it, ‘15 July is the victory of the nation, the national will and those devoted to democracy, when right prevailed over falsehood and justice over oppression.’
Undoubtedly, behind this great victory was the sacrifice of 252 heroic martyrs who gave their lives for their homeland.”
Minister Göktaş stressed that it was impossible to forget the heroes who marched toward martyrdom for Türkiye’s future and said:
“That night, they did not merely stop a coup attempt. They also thwarted the dark schemes targeting Türkiye’s future, democracy and will for independence.
For this reason, keeping the spirit of 15 July alive in our memories, protecting the legacy entrusted to us by our martyrs and passing this great struggle on to future generations is a national duty for all of us.”
“We will continue to strengthen our services through stronger social policies”
Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş said that, as the ministry, they were fulfilling this national duty through services reaching every area of life and carrying out work in every field for the families of martyrs and veterans. She said that protecting the nation’s trust was possible not by remembering it only on certain days, but by standing beside the families of martyrs and veterans every day of the year.
Göktaş said they sought to make the families of martyrs and veterans feel that they were not alone through household visits conducted in all 81 provinces, adding:
“We bring the compassion of our state and the loyalty of our nation to every home. Because we know that our loyalty to our martyrs gains meaning through the care we show to the families they entrusted to us.
At the same time, through the Homeland and Heroism Gatherings we have launched, we bring the families of martyrs and our heroic veterans together with young people. We believe that a nation learns its history not only from books, but also from the memories of those who lived through it. In this way, we are passing the spirit of 15 July, love of the homeland, the awareness of unity and solidarity, and the true meaning of sacrifice on to future generations in a powerful way.
In line with the Family and Population Decade vision announced by our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, we will continue to improve our services for the relatives of martyrs and veterans through stronger social policies.”
“It is not only history books that keep the memory of nations alive”
Minister Göktaş said that a strong family was the foundation of a strong society, and a strong society the foundation of a strong state. She said:
“With the goal of a Türkiye free of terrorism, we will build a future together in which peace, brotherhood, trust and solidarity prevail.
Achieving this goal will be the strongest expression of being worthy of the revered memory of our martyrs and of our loyalty to the sacrifice of our veterans.”
Recalling President Erdoğan’s words that “those who were martyred that night are the eternal heroes of our nation’s struggle for independence and its future,” Göktaş said that these words most powerfully summarized the spirit of 15 July.
Göktaş said the panel would address 15 July from different perspectives, adding:
“Most importantly, through the testimonies of those who personally lived through that night, we will once again remember together the courage of the people who faced the tanks with their faith, the spirit of unity and solidarity that took shape in the squares, and the epic written shoulder to shoulder. We must not forget that it is not only history books that keep the memory of nations alive.
It is the voices of those who experienced sacrifice, the legacy entrusted to us by our martyrs and the dignified struggle of our veterans.”
A short film prepared for the 10th anniversary of the 15 July coup attempt was also shown at the panel.
