Türkiye holds panel in London marking anniversary of failed 2016 coup bid

LONDON

Türkiye held a panel Monday in London to mark the eighth anniversary of the defeated 2016 coup attempt in the country.

Turkish Ambassador Osman Karay Ertas and British House of Lords member Qurban Hussain addressed the panel, called "Türkiye’s Victory of Democracy," along with Turkish Communications Director Fahrettin Altun, who emphasized the significance of July 15, 2016 as a pivotal date in the country's history.

Altun stressed that on that day, the Turkish nation collectively stood up to defend its democratically elected government against the grave threat of the coup attempt, orchestrated by the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

"They literally changed the fate of the Turkish nation by standing up against the pernicious attempts by FETO to eliminate the democratically elected government," he asserted.

Altun also expressed gratitude for the UK's swift and unwavering support for Türkiye during the crisis.

"While most of our allies in Europe were slow in condemning this explicit attack on Turkish democracy, the UK was one of the first European countries to express support for the government.

"We still remember that Sir Alan Duncan, the then-minister, visited Türkiye in less than a week following the coup attempt. This was the first high-level solidarity visit from Europe to Türkiye," he noted.

For his part, Ertas, Türkiye's ambassador to London, cautioned foreign governments on the dangers posed by FETO, which he called a "secretive cult of personality" with malicious intentions.

"FETO operatives will sooner or later show their true faces and harm the countries in which they operate," he warned.

Ertas also said the failed coup attempt was transformed into a victory for democracy in Türkiye's history.

'Every member of our nation said 'stop' to coup attempt'

In his address, Altun said that under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish democracy had overcome numerous ordeals and proved itself to the entire world on July 15.

Emphasizing that Turkish people bravely defended their democracy, freedom, independence, and future against the coup attempt, Altun said: "Every single member of our nation said 'stop' to the attempt by the coup-plotting Fetullah Terrorist Organization to undermine our country's future."

"We believe that the coup attempt was suppressed thanks to the strength of our democracy and the courage of the Turkish people. The same strength and courage will ensure that the members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization will eventually receive the punishment they deserve," he said.

Altun noted that some countries have not shown enough solidarity with the Turkish people since the coup attempt, adding:

"Unfortunately, countries that constantly try to lecture Türkiye on democracy did not demonstrate a consistent stance in the face of this success. They did not show enough solidarity with our nation. They did not show the necessary strong reaction against the coup attempt," he asserted.

The defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in which 252 people were killed and 2,734 were wounded, was plotted and carried out by the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and its US-based leader Fethullah Gulen.

Gulen has long lived in the US state of Pennsylvania. Turkish leaders have long sought his extradition, but US judicial officials have not approved it.