15.07.2026 19:52
Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Numan Kurtulmuş said, "Our nation left its mark on the night of July 15 and consigned the chain of coups, which began in the late Ottoman period, continued throughout our Republican history, and were frequently witnessed especially in our multi-party political life—as a sort of continuation of the coup against Sultan Abdülaziz on May 30, 1876—to the dustbin of history."
TBMM Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş delivered a speech at the July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day Commemoration Ceremony, held with the theme "The Will is Ours, Victory is Ours" at the TBMM Ceremony Hall, with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Recalling that 10 years have passed since the treacherous coup attempt of July 15, 2016, Kurtulmuş emphasized that it is necessary to remember what happened that night both to never quell anger and to never lose the will to demand accountability.
TBMM Speaker Kurtulmuş noted the importance of struggling together, so that Turkey can move toward healthier and stronger tomorrows, by taking lessons from what happened that night, along with its before and after.
Commemorating those who became martyrs while resisting the coup on July 15, Kurtulmuş stated, "With the awareness that the spirits of our martyrs are among us, we are jointly conducting this 10th anniversary commemoration."
“IT WAS A NIGHT WHEN THE GREATEST TREACHERY EVER SEEN IN THE HISTORY OF THESE LANDS WAS DISPLAYED”
Stressing that one of the most important nights in Turkish history occurred on the night of July 15, Kurtulmuş continued his assessment: "It was a night where on one side there was betrayal, on the other side courage; where heroism was exhibited at an extremely high level, and on the other side, probably the greatest treachery ever seen in the history of these lands was displayed. That night, a struggle took place between those who stepped in front of tanks and tried to stop them with their bare hands, and those who took shelter behind the weapons the nation had given them. That night witnessed a great struggle between those who unhesitatingly sacrificed their lives for their faith, values, and homeland, and the puppets, lackeys, and pawns of imperialists.
Each minute of that night is filled with extremely important memories. But ultimately, the greatest legacy that night left us is the victory of democracy and national will. In fact, starting from the late Ottoman period and continuing throughout our Republican history, especially in our multi-party political life, our nation put its stamp on the chain of coups, a continuation of the coup against Sultan Abdülaziz Han on May 30, 1876, on the morning after July 15 night, and thus consigned the tradition of coups to the dustbin of history. This was one of the greatest gains of July 15."
"IT WAS NOT JUST A PHONE CALL, BUT AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE THAT DISRUPTED THE CRIMINALS AND TRAITORS AND ENCOURAGED THE NATION"
TBMM Speaker Kurtulmuş drew attention to the importance of five key forces in the writing of the heroic epic of July 15, stating that because these forces came together, a great epic struggle emerged.
Emphasizing that first and foremost, the first important force is the power of political leadership, Kurtulmuş assessed, "Our esteemed President, in the most difficult and darkest hours of the coup, connected to a television channel and gave the message, 'I am here, you also go out into the streets, resist, and teach these men their place,' and millions poured into the streets. That evening, perhaps not only for Turkish history but also for world democracy history, it clearly demonstrated what important results a warm message that can be established between political leadership and the people can bring. Once again, I express my gratitude to our esteemed President on behalf of our nation. That was not just a phone call, but an important message that disrupted the criminals and traitors and encouraged the nation."
"THE ASSEMBLY'S GATHERING HAS REVEALED THE POWER OF THE NATION AND DEMOCRACY"
Emphasizing that the second great force in the resistance against the FETÖ coup attempt on July 15, 2016, was the power of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Kurtulmuş stated that a great democracy resistance was demonstrated when then-TBMM Speaker İsmail Kahraman unhesitatingly called the Assembly to session and all political parties in the Assembly responded to this call.
Noting that many deputies quickly came to the Assembly and started the session in the General Assembly, and while the session was ongoing, the traitors dropped bombs, Kurtulmuş said, "The fact that the Assembly gathered, our deputies in their jeans and sports clothes embracing democracy, believe me, disrupted the plans of these men and their masters, and revealed the power of the nation and democracy."
Explaining that the third great force was the sound of the salâ [funeral prayer] rising from the minarets of mosques, Kurtulmuş used the expressions: "With the revitalizing breath of the salâ, our nation remembered its very solid roots again, renewed its faith, so to speak, went out into the streets with a renewal of faith, and stood against these traitors saying 'In the name of Allah, with the name of Allah.' What rose from the minarets was not just the sound of the salâ; it was the commands given by the spirituality of this nation rising from the minarets, a great example of courage demonstrated by the strong faith of this nation."
"OUR NATION HAS TAUGHT THE INSOLENT THEIR PLACE IN THE STRONGEST WAY"
Emphasizing that the fourth great force was the power of the nation, which set aside its family and took to the streets without hesitation, risking death, Kurtulmuş said, "By going out into the streets, our nation not only showed that it was not just a crowd but also re-embraced the consciousness of being a nation, and with Allah's permission, taught these insolent ones their place in the strongest way."
Noting that another force of that night that should not be overlooked was the media, Kurtulmuş stated, "Nearly all of the Turkish media, the vast majority, passed this test positively that night. Almost all of them stood against the coup and, using the means at their disposal, enabled many state officials to connect to television channels, thereby helping to boost the nation's morale."
Stating that on the 10th anniversary of the coup attempt, they need to make a more cool-headed assessment, Kurtulmuş said, "We will keep our pain alive, we will never quell our anger, but we will continue on our way by drawing lessons that will never allow our country to deviate into such wrong paths." Kurtulmuş continued his remarks: "Probably the foremost of the many lessons we have learned is the fact that the state should not be the sphere of influence of any group or faction. The state is not anyone's father's property. The state is the common umbrella, spiritual power, and shelter of all 86 million of us. Within this framework, as we have often witnessed in coup attempts in Turkey's multi-party political life, the state is not a place to be seized by this or that mob. The state is a position to be served, for the sake of Allah, with the votes given by the nation."
Undoubtedly, one of the lessons we have learned is that the bright future of our nation lies in openness, transparency, a system bound to its institutions, and the existence of strong institutions. We understand much better how these FETÖ traitors weakened the Turkish Armed Forces after our Turkish Armed Forces were cleansed of these traitors. Therefore, the strength of institutions comes from transparency, openness, and a rule-bound system. Similarly, the concept of a strong state is an area that can be crowned with a deep democratic tradition and the rule of law. Again, our national solidarity is a fundamental condition for our national survival. If that evening, without hesitation, setting aside political differences, our nation had not taken to the streets with a consciousness of national solidarity, perhaps the result would have been different.
"WE WILL BUILD A TERROR-FREE TURKEY AS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF OUR NATIONAL SURVIVAL"
Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Kurtulmuş stated that they have adopted a path that fosters brotherhood, strengthens justice, enriches and expands legitimate politics, and prioritizes and centers national will, and noted that while walking on this path, there are two important tasks to walk faster and stronger.
Kurtulmuş recorded the following: "One of our important duties is to successfully complete the Terror-Free Turkey process, which we started under the leadership of our esteemed President and with the extraordinary guidance of Mr. Devlet Bahçeli, with the permission of Allah, and to reach the final point by preparing the laws in the Turkish Grand National Assembly. Thus, we will prepare an environment where not a single child of this country will ever take up arms against terrorism, which has cost us 50 years, and we will fully build a Terror-Free Turkey as one of the most important elements of our national survival. "
Stating that the second great duty on this path is a new, strong constitution worthy of this nation, Kurtulmuş said, "This issue, which we have discussed for years, should be addressed with a modern, democratic, participatory, inclusive, and national constitution understanding, and I hope that after we complete our work regarding Terror-Free Turkey in the Turkish Grand National Assembly, we should initiate the process of making a new constitution as soon as possible through the joint efforts of all political parties. "
Kurtulmuş thanked all participants, especially President Erdoğan, who honored the ceremony, and said, "I ask for Allah's mercy for our martyrs. Inshallah, this nation will continue on its way as a strong Turkey, with head held high until the Day of Judgment, in brotherhood, unity, and solidarity, without heeding the words of any imperialist power. May Allah keep our nation eternal, may He keep our state eternal. "
NOTES FROM THE CEREMONY
The ceremony began with a moment of silence and the reading of the National Anthem, followed by a recitation from the Holy Quran.
At the ceremony, where the President of Religious Affairs Safi Arpaguş prayed for the martyrs, a video clip was shown on the screen featuring Erdoğan's speech from the night of the July 15 coup attempt, when he connected via phone and called the people to the squares, images from that night, and a compilation of the salas (call to prayer) recited from mosques.
During the ceremony, July 15 Veteran Emre Doğan sat to President Erdoğan's right, and Pınar Hazan Denizcioğlu, wife of July 15 Martyr Necmi Bahadır Denizcioğlu, sat to his left.
The ceremony was attended by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, members of the high judiciary, cabinet members, Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran, MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli, AK Party TBMM Group Leader Abdullah Güler, former Prime Minister Tansu Çiller, some former speakers of the TBMM, leaders and representatives of some political parties, members of parliament, force commanders, families and relatives of July 15 martyrs, veterans, and many guests.