The Consul General of Turkey, Murat M Onart, has said that Turkish nation proved to the world that democracy is not a cheap victory but is precious enough to die for its sake.
Speaking at a press conference on the first anniversary of democracy, the Turk Consul General read out a letter of Turkish Prime Minister, Binali Yildirim, that says their primary duty is to take necessary measures to prevent it from happening again and they are making efforts to manage this challenging process within the constitutional order. The Turkish democracy was targeted but the democracy won. "Our aim and endeavors will aim at taking the necessary steps in time to crown our democracy," he said.
"It has been a year since we thwarted the bloodiest terrorist attack in the history of the Republic of Turkey", the letter said adding Turkey has proven its resilience, ability to recover and strength in the course of last year.
He said it was an attack on the Turkish state by traitors, who infiltrated the Turkish military, who are loyal to a deranged man who sees himself as the "imam of the universe". "We were confronted with murderers, who bombed their own national Parliament, destroyed the headquarters of police special forces that fight at the forefront against terrorist organizations, driven tanks over unarmed civilians, fired from fighter jets and attack helicopters. We have never before been through such brutality in our history." This terrorist network killed 250 of our citizens and left more than 2,000 injured.
"Our citizens from all backgrounds and political views took to the streets against the putschists. Our television channels continued broadcasting despite the threats and raids by coup plotters. The Turkish nation became one," he said. The Turkish nation showed the entire world that it defended democracy and will continue to do so. Turk people demonstrated that only the governments taking office through democratic processes and the will of the people would rule Turkey, not the armed groups. The strongest legitimacy is the democratic one.
He said, "The answer underlies the nature of the treacherous network we are facing. That night, we were confronted with a crime network, blindly following the orders of ringleader, Fetullah Gulen, via a professor of theology. We are talking about a treacherous gang that failed to grasp the notion of the glorious millennial history of Turkish soldiers, saluting the manager of a company owned by the Gulenist Terror Organization (FETO) and the ostensible owner of a school operated by the same organization, at the military base they used as their headquarters."
As a matter of fact, the Turk government had actually unmasked Fetullah Gulen and taken action accordingly. He remarked, "The July 15 coup attempt bitterly revealed that the threat we are facing was beyond estimation, that it is much deeper and more vital." The magnitude of the plot masterminded by Fetullah Gulen for the past 40 years to seize control of the Turkish state was exposed. FETO members, following the orders of Fetullah Gulen, had acted unnoticed inside the capillaries of the system and reached almost all power centers like an infection caused by a virus that gradually takes over the vital organs of a body. Comprehensive administrative, criminal and legal investigations have been conducted throughout the year since July 15, 2016. Extensive evidence has been reached on this structure that masterminded and implemented the coup attempt.
The Turk government has destroyed the backbone of the organization in Turkey with the measures it has taken. However, the threat is not limited to Turkey. The organization has similar structures in many countries. Currently, they continue to plant treacherous seeds in other states. This time, they are more actively seeking global economic and political influence for their survival, the Turkish Prime Minister's letter said.