2 Years After Coup Bid, Turkey 'Stronger': Erdogan Aide

As Turkey marks the second anniversary of the July 15, 2016 defeated coup, now under a brand new system of government, the country has only grown stronger, Turkey's presidential spokesman said on Saturday. Writing for Istanbul-based Daily Sabah, Ibrahim Kalin said: "Two years after the heinous attack on the night of July 15, Turkey remains stronger, more resilient and more effective with the new [presidential] system of government," ushered in with Turkey's recent presidential election.FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated 2016 coup, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured. Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary. "Today," wrote Kalin, "the Gulenists' invasion of the hearts and minds of honest, hard-working Turks has completely ended. We have broken FETO's siege on our country's public institutions and civil society." Kalin also spoke of Turkey's steps to frustrate FETO's operations "under the guise of education," as it also has a considerable presence abroad, including private educational institutions that serve as a revenue stream for the terrorist group. "Specifically, the Turkish Maarif Foundation has been tasked with taking back our nation's overseas schools and creating new educational institutions abroad to ensure that our country remains a beacon of hope," he wrote. Maarif has assumed the administration of former FETO-linked schools in dozens of countries. "Also, foreign governments have developed a better appreciation of how seriously Turkey takes this issue, as well as the ways in which Gulen and his servants could put the security of host nations at risk. Needless to say, our efforts to bring the perpetrators of the July 15 coup attempt to justice will continue with determination," he added. Kalin also complained that "Turkey's perfectly reasonable efforts to eliminate the threat of another coup attempt have been taken out of context by Western reporters, which created a major gap between media coverage and the facts on the ground." "In truth, the state of emergency, which is a constitutional mechanism to protect our democracy against the most serious threats, has not affected the daily lives of ordinary citizens," he explained. -