Turkish officials attended ceremonies and issued messages to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the July 15 failed coup attempt on Thursday, as they reiterated Turkey’s determination to never let democracy fall.
Attending a ceremony to commemorate July 15 martyrs in Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said nobody has the right to trivialize the people’s struggle against the coup attempt. The president also highlighted that everybody is obliged to protect democracy, as hundreds of people sacrificed their lives in this pursuit.
He also gave a message of unity for all political ideologies in the country.
“Even if our political parties, ideologies are different, we are the people of the same country. Even if we share different roots, we share a common history and a common future,” Erdoğan said. On Twitter, Vice President Fuat Oktay wished Allah’s mercy on the people who died for preventing “this disgraceful assault during the treacherous coup attempt on July 15,” and shared a video honoring those killed during the coup bid night.
He also quoted the Erdoğan’s remarks, “We have not seen or recognized any earthly power above the nation’s will, neither will we.”
Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu issued a message, saying the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ)’s attempted coup “attacked the nation’s will and democracy.”
” … their dark plans failed before dawn, took a real blow with the development and determination to rebuild the future of our country after that night,” he added.
