The panel, held at the Queen Elizabeth II Center across from the British Parliament as part of the July 15 events, began with a moment of silence in memory of the martyrs and the reading of the National Anthem. The panel’s opening speeches were made by Turkey’s Ambassador to London Osman Koray Ertaş, Member of the House of Lords Qurban Hussain and British Turkish Association (BTA) President Murat Şükrü Acar. Presidency Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun also addressed the participants with a video message at the panel’s opening.
Ambassador Ertas:“The Turkish nation fought heroically for the homeland and state”
In his speech at the opening of the panel, Ambassador Ertaş stated that the treacherous coup attempt carried out by FETO on July 15, 2016 was defeated thanks to the great Turkish nation and heroic security forces under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Ertaş stated that the Turkish nation did not recognize power over its own will in the elimination of the coup attempt and showed that it was ready to give its life to protect its state and democratic gains, and emphasized that a heroic struggle was waged for the sake of the homeland and state.
Ambassador Ertaş touched on the fact that the terrorist organization, which was squeezed as a result of the struggle carried out within the country, was turning to focusing on its activities abroad, and underlined that the fight against FETO’s foreign structure was one of the priority agenda items of Turkish foreign policy. Pointing out that many countries that realized the FETO threat had ended the activities of so-called schools and associations affiliated with the organization on their own soil, Ertaş continued his words as follows: “In our contacts with our foreign counterparts, we emphasize that FETO , which has the nature of a secret cult, poses a security threat not only to our country but also to them. We explain that the organization aims to create political and economic spheres of influence for itself and operates as a secret crime and espionage organization. “
Panel Speakers and Their Messages
- Tayyip Ayvalioğlu:He emphasized that they made the coup plotters kneel on the night of July 15 and that as young people, they will always continue to fight for Turkey.
- Assoc. Prof. Dr. Enes Bayrakli:He described the cessation of the July 15 coup attempt through the struggle of the Turkish people as a “milestone for Turkey.”
- Jawad Amin:He expressed his concern and appreciation for the unity and solidarity of the Turkish nation, even though he was not in Turkey on the night of the July 15 coup attempt.
- Sinan Albayrak:While sharing his feelings about his close friends who were martyred by the coup plotters on the night of July 15, he emphasized the unity and determination of the Turkish nation.
