President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, "The real intention of the treason network, which exploited the delusional feelings of our nation for 40 years by saying 'service', 'charity' and 'education', was revealed on the night of July 15. However, the successful repelling of the coup attempt with the resistance of our beloved nation opened a brand new page for Türkiye." he said.

The "15 July Symposium in its Tenth Year with Political and Legal Aspects" was organized by the AK Party Political and Legal Affairs Directorate at the party headquarters.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sent a written message to the symposium.

In his message, Erdoğan congratulated the Presidency of Political and Legal Affairs, which organized this important symposium, where different aspects of the July 15 treacherous coup attempt will be discussed, and those who contributed to the organization, and said, "I hope that the ideas and statements to be put forward at the symposium and the evaluations to be made here will further strengthen our unity and solidarity, and clearly reveal how the July 15 uprising, with all its elements, is the product of an insidious structure." He stated:

Erdogan, who remembered with mercy each of the 253 martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the independence of the state and the future of the nation on the night of July 15, also expressed his gratitude to the heroic veterans and wished each of them a good and healthy life.

"Türkiye has both gotten rid of an insidious terrorist organization and taken steps to secure its democracy."

President Erdoğan said:

"The real intention of the treason network, which exploited the sincere feelings of our nation for 40 years by saying 'service', 'charity' and 'education', was revealed on the night of July 15. However, the successful repelling of the coup attempt with the resistance of our beloved nation opened a brand new page for Türkiye. Turkey was both freed from an insidious terrorist organization that infiltrated the capillaries of the state and took steps to secure its democracy. Undoubtedly, the most important of these is our new management system. With the Presidential Government System, our nation's nearly two-century-long search for a governance model has found its answer.

Thanks to the new system that eliminates double-headedness, accelerates decision-making processes and increases the effectiveness of the state, Türkiye's resistance to shocks has increased, its political stability has been institutionalized, and its crisis management capacity has been strengthened as never before. The advantages that the new system provides to our country have been seen in every field, from the Russia-Ukraine war to the coronavirus epidemic, from healing the wounds of the February 6 earthquakes to the latest Iran-centered crisis. As a state and nation, we are determined to preserve these historical gains and bring Türkiye to the levels it deserves. We will never step back in the fight against FETO, and we will continue our fight within the law against this treason network that subcontracts the enemies of Türkiye. "We will work with all our strength to prevent new July 15s from happening."

"The hero of the epic written that night is our beloved nation."

In his speech at the symposium, AK Party Deputy Chairman Hayati Yazıcı said, "July 15 is one of the clearest manifestations of the historical struggle between democracy and tutelage, law and weapons, national will and junta mentality." he said.

Stating that the July 15 coup attempt was the heaviest, most treacherous and bloodiest coup attempt that Türkiye has ever encountered in its political history, Yazıcı said, "July 15 is the name of the vile and brutal coup attempt of the FETO terrorist organization, which directly targets our nation, the Republic of Turkey, our President, our government, our flag, our homeland and our country." he said.

Yazıcı stated that the night of July 15 was a night of brutality in every aspect and said, "But at the same time, it is the name of a holy resistance in which the chains that were intended to be placed on the will of the nation were shattered, the barrels aimed at democracy fell silent in the face of the courage of our nation, and the dark scenarios that targeted our independence were defeated. With the call of our Chairman and President Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 'I invite our nation to the squares', millions of our citizens took to the streets without any hesitation and "He protected and protected our beloved homeland and our sacred flag at the expense of his life. The hero of the epic written that night is our beloved nation, our beloved martyrs, our heroic veterans. Our nation truly demonstrated how much it had internalized democracy that night." made his assessment.

"The source of legitimacy of the state is the will of the nation"

Pointing to the provision "Sovereignty belongs unconditionally to the nation" in the Constitution, Yazıcı said, "The source of legitimacy of the state is the will of the nation. It is the strongest democratic principle that declares that no center of power or tutelage can be above the national will. This principle is the most unshakable assurance of our common stance against all kinds of interventions against the will of the nation and our commitment to democracy." he said.

Yazıcı underlined that the AK Party governments, under the leadership of President Erdoğan, acted with great consciousness and responsibility in the face of events that disabled the national will, regardless of the circumstances, and said, "The meeting of millions of our citizens on common ground that night is one of the most important achievements of Turkish democracy." he said.

Pointing out that the AK Party organizations are the most vivid representatives of the strong bond established between the nation and the state, Yazıcı emphasized that he reinforced this strong stance with the suppression of the coup attempt and the democracy watches that followed, without hesitation.

Yazıcı stated that the AK Party is a political movement that draws its strength from the nation since its establishment and said, "Our party was founded shoulder to shoulder with our nation. The compass of the AK Party has always been on the side of the nation. Whatever the test our nation has faced, our organizations have always stood by our nation and will continue to do so. Our nation has shown to the whole world what a noble nation it is with its foresight, foresight and common sense, and that democracy will be defended not only at the ballot box, but also at the cost of its life when necessary." He made a statement.

"It should be our common responsibility to bring our country to a civil, democratic social contract."

"The greatest responsibility that falls to us is not only to commemorate July 15, but also to keep that spirit alive, to strengthen our unity and solidarity, to protect the national will under all circumstances and to pass on this sacred trust to future generations," Yazıcı said, adding that the spirit of July 15 is not just the name of a night, but the unshakable will of a nation that never compromises its independence.

AK Party Deputy Chairman Yazıcı said:

"We are not here today just to commemorate the anniversary of a great betrayal we experienced ten years ago. We must remember and never forget the historical responsibility that night imposed on us. We have to put an end to the mechanisms and practices put forward by the coup mentality, as well as the repelling and failure of the coups. Guardianship mechanisms, practices that limit the will of the nation, and the institutional legacy created by the coup plotters are also a necessity that must be eliminated. In this context, the issue of a new and civilian constitution is a necessity for those who risked their lives on the night of July 15." "We think that it is a historical duty of loyalty that must be fulfilled towards our beloved nation. It should be our common responsibility to save our country from the shame of the coup constitution and bring it to a completely new, civil, democratic and liberal social contract. Of course, it is not acceptable that Türkiye is still governed by a constitution that bears the traces of the coup periods."

"Our nation gave a very clear message on the night of July 15."

Noting that the basis of the 1982 Constitution was not the will to expand freedoms, but an understanding that opened the door to tutelage centers, Yazıcı said, "On the night of July 15, our nation gave a very clear message: The real owner of this state is the nation. Only the nation decides the future of this country. The duty of all political parties should be to carry the democracy epic that our nation wrote in the squares to the constitutional ground. The new constitution, which will center the national will, will be our greatest support while building the Turkish Century." made his assessment.

Emphasizing that Türkiye is no longer a country guided by coups but drawing a direction with the will of the nation, Yazıcı said, "Our goal in the second century of our Republic should be to build the Century of Turkey more strongly with a civil and encompassing constitution that erases the traces of tutelage, secures rights and freedoms, derives its legitimacy directly from the nation." he said.

Yazıcı stated that, as the AK Party Political and Legal Affairs Directorate, they organized this symposium in order to discuss the coup attempt with its political and legal aspects, to reveal the experience of fighting tutelage in terms of strengthening democratic memory, and to produce a political and legal perspective for the future. "We attach great importance to institutionally transferring this noble stance against the July 15 coup attempt, which was not allowed, with the historical call of our President, the courage and glorious resistance of our beloved nation, to the political memory." he said.

Yazıcı expressed that he believes that the evaluation to be made here today will make valuable contributions to Türkiye's democratic accumulation.

The symposium will continue with the speeches of İsmail Kahraman, who served as the Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly on the night of July 15, the then Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, the Minister of Internal Affairs Efkan Ala, and the Chairman of the AK Party Headquarters Mustafa Ataş.