A commemoration ceremony was held in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, on the occasion of July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day.
At the ceremony held at Türkiye's Embassy in Astana, 253 people who were martyred in the coup attempt of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) on July 15, 2016 were commemorated with prayers on the 10th anniversary of the coup attempt.
Kazakhstan Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek, Kazakhstan Ministry of Defense officials, World Turkish Business Council (DTİK) Kazakhstan Representative Ahmet Budan, representatives of Turkish institutions and organizations operating in Astana, business people and press members attended the ceremony hosted by Astana Ambassador Mustafa Kapucu.
The ceremony started with a minute of silence and the national anthems of the two countries were read. In the program, the video message of Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran, prepared for the 10th anniversary of July 15, was shown to the participants.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ambassador Kapucu stated that Türkiye passed one of the most critical tests in the history of democracy on the night of July 15, 2016, and said, "253 of our citizens lost their lives and thousands of our citizens were injured during the coup attempt of FETO on July 15, 2016. With the call of our President, hundreds of thousands of our citizens took to the streets and prevented this treacherous coup attempt and eliminated the threat." he said.
Emphasizing that the fight against FETO continues with determination, Kapucu said, "So far, more than 750 thousand people have been tried for membership in a terrorist organization in Türkiye. The judicial process of thousands of people continues, and more than 10 thousand people are still in prison for membership in a terrorist organization." he said.
Stating that the organization is trying to maintain its secret structure despite the passing of 10 years, Kapucu said, "In the last few days, investigation and arrest decisions have been made about approximately 1000 people. This is one of the important signs that the organization is trying to protect its structure that has managed to hide itself." he said.
Pointing out that FETO carries out its activities through educational institutions, Kapucu said, "The organization has managed to hide itself in more than 160 countries by using its educational activities under an innocent appearance and has achieved significant gains in these countries. The coup attempt in Türkiye is a movement initiated not only from within Türkiye but also with the encouragement of foreign elements." made his assessment.
Kapucu pointed out that FETO poses a security threat not only for Turkey but for all the countries in which it operates, and said, "This organization is not only a threat for Turkey. It is a security problem in every country in which it operates. We continue to warn friendly and brotherly countries in the light of our own experiences." he said.
Noting that the fight against the organization continues abroad, Kapucu said, "Many educational institutions have been taken over and many educational institutions have been closed. The fact that many international organizations, especially the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Asian Parliamentary Assembly, recognize FETO as a terrorist organization is of great importance for our fight." made his assessment.
Recalling Kazakhstan's support to Türkiye's legitimate government from the first hours of the July 15 coup attempt, Kapucu said, "I would like to thank the Kazakhstan government once again. As Turkey, we are ready to provide all kinds of support in collapsing and exposing FETO structures operating abroad, including Kazakhstan." he said.
Expressing that hybrid threats have gained importance today, Kapucu said, "Although FETO's structuring in Türkiye has been largely terminated, we closely follow its global activities and carefully monitor its initiatives targeting Türkiye's stability, especially through the media and social media." he said.
Kapucu concluded his speech by saying, "I commemorate the 253 martyrs who lost their lives in the treacherous coup attempt and express my gratitude to over 2 thousand veterans. Turkey will continue its fight against terrorist organizations with determination, without any ethnic or political discrimination." He concluded with these words:
While the Quran recitation was performed for the martyrs at the ceremony, the program ended with visiting the exhibition containing photographs from the night of the July 15 coup attempt.