Events were held in Diyarbakır, Siirt, Mardin, Batman, Şırnak, Elazığ and Bingöl on the occasion of July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day.
Within the scope of the "The Will is Ours, the Victory is Ours 15 July Democracy and National Unity Day Commemoration Program" organized by the Governorship in Diyarbakır, the stands opened by public institutions and non-governmental organizations in the Anit Park in the central Yenişehir district were visited.
In the program that continued in front of the Governorship, a moment of silence was observed, the National Anthem was sung, and the Holy Quran was recited.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's speech was followed on the screens set up in the area.
In his speech, Governor Murat Zorluoğlu said that 10 years have passed since July 15, when the nation fought for independence and the future at the expense of its life.
Stating that 253 sons of the country were martyred on July 15 and more than 2 thousand people became veterans, Zorluoğlu said:
"July 15, which is undoubtedly the most insidious and despicable coup attempt in our history, was not just a night when a coup failed. That night, FETO traitors did not only target our President and government. That night, not only the security units and law enforcement forces of our state were targeted. On the night of July 15, an attack was made against our country, the future of our children and our national survival. Our brotherhood, unity and solidarity, which have existed in these lands for centuries, were intended to be destroyed. For this reason, "July 15 is also the name of a great victory in which our beloved nation defended its own will, democracy and independence by putting its life on the line."
AK Party Diyarbakır Deputy Mehmet Galip Ensarioğlu also stated that Türkiye faced an invasion attempt with geopolitical goals on July 15, 2016.
Stating that this initiative was also a project of global power centers that were disturbed by Türkiye's rise, Ensarioğlu said, "But there was something they forgot. Turkey was not an ordinary country. This nation has not been subjugated throughout history, and will not be subjugated today either.
Under the leadership of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, our beloved nation did not only stop a coup attempt by taking to the squares that night. At the same time, he rejected the role assigned to Türkiye. "He has declared to the whole world that he will determine his own destiny," he said.
AK Party Diyarbakır Deputy Suna Kepolu Ataman said that he wrote a great epic that would set an example to the world by defending the independence of the nation on July 15.
At the event, the athletes who successfully completed the "Sancak Race" delivered the Turkish flag to Governor Zorluoğlu.
Zorluoğlu gave awards to the winners of the painting competition themed "15 July".
At the event, where hymns, Turkish and Kurdish songs were sung and poems were read, the erbane team gave a recital.
In the program, a video prepared for the martyrs of July 15 was shown.
The commemoration program ended with the prayer made by Provincial Mufti Celal Büyük.
The program was attended by 8th Main Jet Base Commander Brigadier General Burak Özan, Provincial Police Chief Nurettin Gökduman, Provincial Gendarmerie Commander Major General Tarık Hekimoğlu, Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor Erdal Kuruçay, Dicle University Rector Prof. Dr. Kamuran Eronat, AK Party Diyarbakır Provincial Chairman Hamit Sümer, public institutions and organizations, political party representatives and citizens attended.
The 15 July Democracy and National Unity Day program in Siirt started with the "Democracy and National Unity March" in front of Güres Street Kızılay Business Center in a cortege, accompanied by the show of Turkish flags and the Janissary Band.
In the ongoing event at Siirt Municipality Kızlar Tepesi Social Facilities, Governor Kemal Kızılkaya and protocol members visited the "15 July" themed photography and painting exhibition.
In the program here, a moment of silence was observed and the National Anthem was sung.
After the recitation of the Holy Quran, hymns were read and prayers were said.
A documentary titled "What Happened in Siirt on July 15" was shown, which tells about the night of the coup attempt on July 15 in Siirt and the resistance of the nation.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's speech was followed on giant screens set up in the area.
In his speech at the program, Governor Kızılkaya wished God's mercy to those who were martyred in the treacherous coup attempt on July 15, 2016, and remembered the veterans with gratitude and gratitude.
Stating that there are some turning points in the history of nations, Kızılkaya said, "Those days shape not only the past but also the future, they are engraved in memories and are passed on from generation to generation. July 15, 2016 is such a date. There was not only a coup attempt that night. That night, we were faced with a vile treason attempt that targeted the survival of our state, the will of our nation, our democracy, our independence and our thousand-year-old brotherhood." he said.
"FETO members, who used our state's resources to infiltrate its most intimate institutions for years, turned our nation's weapons against this nation again and wanted to take the Republic of Turkey into captivity. However, there was a truth they could not calculate. This nation has never accepted captivity throughout history." Using his expressions, Kızılkaya emphasized that in this dark night, with the call of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the nation flooded into the squares and that the people in Siirt, as in all over the country, did not give way to the coup plotters with great courage and determination.
The event ended with a janissary band show and a poetry recital.
AK Party Siirt Deputy Mervan Gül, Siirt University Rector Prof. Dr. Nihat Şındak, Provincial Police Chief Mehmet Özdemir, Provincial Gendarmerie Commander Brigadier General Uğur Özmen, AK Party Provincial Chairman Abdulhekim Gider, Siirt Training and Research Hospital Chief Physician Prof. Dr. Servet Yolbaş, institution managers, representatives of political parties and non-governmental organizations and citizens attended.
15 July Democracy and National Unity March was held in Mardin on the occasion of 15 July Democracy and National Unity Day.
Citizens gathered in the Governor's Park and walked to the July 15 Democracy and Martyrs Park, carrying a large Turkish flag and a banner saying "Our Will, Our Homeland".
In the program, which continued with a moment of silence and the singing of the National Anthem, the Holy Quran was read, poems, hymns and melodies were sung.
Vali Tuncay Akkoyun, yaptığı konuşmada, hain darbe girişiminde alçak darbecilerle mücadele ederken şehadet mertebesine erişenlere Allah'tan rahmet, gazilere sağlıklı ve uzun ömürler diledi.
Emphasizing that on the night of July 15, the nation defeated the treacherous coup attempt and wrote a great epic that will never be forgotten, Akkoyun said:
"It should not be forgotten that the only power that gets us out of all kinds of troubles is the will to unity, solidarity, brotherhood and being one heart that has been brewing in these lands for centuries. No matter how great the treason was in the treacherous coup attempt of July 15, the bullets coming out of the barrels of the scoundrels could not overcome the unshakable armor of faith on the chest of this nation. July 15 was the day when right turned into falsehood, loyalty into betrayal, courage into cowardice, bravery into cowardice and national will into "It is the name of the victory of democracy against tutelage."
Konuşmaların ardından Mardinli milli sporcuların taşıdığı sancak ve Türk bayrakları Vali Akkoyun'a teslim edildi.
During the program, the '15 July Democracy and National Unity Day Commemoration Tent' and the students' painting exhibition on 15 July were visited, and refreshments were served to the citizens.
Artuklu District Governor Muhammet Öztabak, 70th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Commander Brigadier General Ahmet Yaşar Dener, Provincial Police Chief Recep Tecimer, Provincial Gendarmerie Commander Brigadier General Tahsin Saruhan, Mardin Artuklu University Rector Prof. attended the programme. Dr. İbrahim Özcoşar, Provincial Mufti Enver Türkmen, AK Party Provincial Chairman Mehmet Uncu, MHP Provincial Chairman Ferhan Bozkuş, July 15 veterans, representatives of institutions, non-governmental organizations and political parties and citizens attended.
A program was held in Atatürk Park within the scope of July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day events in Batman.
Following the moment of silence and the singing of the National Anthem, the Holy Quran was read and Provincial Mufti Ahmet Durmuş prayed.
In his speech, Governor Ekrem Canalp said that the purpose of the treacherous coup attempt was to create civil unrest in the country.
"We should know very well and never forget that the aim of those who hold and control this organization was not just a coup attempt. They had a much bigger goal: to take out an Afghanistan, a Syria, an Iraq or a Libya from Türkiye, and to create internal turmoil in our country. However, with the call of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, our beloved nation, with its Alevis and Sunnis, men and women, old and young, easterners and westerners. "They flocked to the squares, streets, airports and public buildings. In the morning of this dark night, we left an epic that will be written in golden letters in the history of world democracy."
In the program, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's speech was watched on giant screens in the area.
Hymn and poetry recitals were presented by the students in the program.
Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor Mehmet Çetiner, Rector of Batman University Prof. attended the program. Dr. İdris Demir, Deputy Provincial Gendarmerie Commander Colonel Veysel Aksoy, Provincial Police Chief İbrahim Kaba, representatives of institutions, political parties and non-governmental organizations, families of martyrs, veterans and citizens attended.
The march held in Ömer Kabak Square in Şırnak on the occasion of July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day, accompanied by a 107-meter Turkish flag, continued until Cumhuriyet Square.
Some citizens supported the march by hanging the Turkish flag on the balconies of their houses.
In the program that continued in Cumhuriyet Square, a moment of silence was observed and the National Anthem was sung.
The speech of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was followed in the field at the event where Şırnak University Faculty of Fine Arts students sang hymns.
The Turkish flag carried in the "15 July Martyrs' Flag Run" was delivered to Governor Birol Ekici by the athletes.
In his speech at the program, Governor Ekici wished God's mercy to those who were martyred in the coup attempt on July 15, 2016, and health and well-being to the injured.
Stating that the people wrote an epic together 10 years ago today, Governor Ekici said:
"With our President calling our citizens to the fields and airports and saying 'I have never seen or recognized any power over the people', our nation stood tall against the coup plotters and repelled the coup. If you ask what would have happened if we had not repelled the coup that day, we need to look at Syria, Iraq and Iran. We need to see that whatever they wanted to do to those places, the same scenarios will be played out to us with the treacherous FETO organization. Thank God, we stood tall and under the leadership of our President." We opened a new page for our country by preventing the coup. What is this new page? This page is the 'Turkey Century' page and the 'Terror-Free Turkey' page. I know that my fellow citizens from Şırnak played very important roles by closing the airport and blocking the streets of Şırnak and Cizre on the night of July 15."
Mayor Mehmet Yarka also spoke in the program.
The program was attended by 23rd Infantry Division Commander Major General Rıfat Dönel, Chief Public Prosecutor Yusuf Canik, Şırnak University Rector Prof. Dr. Abdurrahim Alkış, Deputy Governor Muhammet Çiftci, Provincial Police Chief Volkan Sazak, Provincial Gendarmerie Commander Major General Zafer Tombul, Çakırsöğüt Gendarmerie Brigade Commander Brigadier General Şinasi Güçlü, AK Party Provincial Chairman İbrahim Halil Erkan, representatives of public institutions and political parties, veterans and citizens attended.
As part of the 15 July Democracy and National Unity Day events in Elazığ, citizens gathered in Cumhuriyet Square with Turkish flags in their hands and marched in a cortege along the Gazi Street route to the 15 July Square, accompanied by the janissary band.
Here, a moment of silence was observed for the martyrs and the National Anthem was sung.
At the event where the Mehteran band gave a concert, the Holy Quran was read for the martyrs, and Provincial Mufti Yusuf Bingöl prayed.
As part of the banner race, the athletes handed over the banner they carried from hand to Governor Numan Hatipoğlu.
In addition, the 15 July Democracy and National Unity Day Commemoration Tents and the "Our Will, Our Victory" painting exhibition were opened in the program.
Governor Numan Hatipoğlu, in his speech, stated that everyone should understand very well in the period leading up to July 15, that FETO has found space to spread like a cancer cell by exploiting religious and human emotions, children and young people under the name of education.
Stating that he was talking about the terrorist organization that has caused pain to the country like never before, Hatipoğlu said:
"From Elazığ, the land of brave people, I once again express our loyalty to our republic, our state and our beloved nation. May Almighty God make our unity and solidarity permanent. I say let's be united, big and alive, just as the sultan Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli expressed. At the same time, I wish our beloved state to last forever, on one homeland, under one flag and as a single nation."
Mayor Şahin Şerifoğulları also stated that the night of July 15 was a night when they commemorated the will, courage and resurrection of the nation, and commemorated with mercy and gratitude all the martyrs who died for the survival of the state and the nation and the dominance of the national will.
Provincial protocol, veterans, representatives of institutions and political parties and citizens attended the program.
In Bingöl, on the occasion of July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day, citizens walked from Hacı Hıdır Mosque to Liberty Avenue with Turkish flags in their hands.
In the program held here, a moment of silence was observed and the National Anthem was sung.
In his speech at the program, Governor Cahit Çelik said that on the night of July 15, 2016, there was not only a coup attempt, but also a treacherous invasion attempt directed against the state, our democracy, our independence and the common future of our nation.
Çelik said, "That night, our beloved nation did not allow this to happen with its faith, courage and unshakable will. The people who stood against the tanks with their hearts, those who marched with faith against the guns, so that the call to prayer would not be silent and the flag would not come down. They sacrificed their lives so that the homeland would not be divided." he said.
In the program, Mayor Erdal Arıkan, Bingöl University Rector Prof. Dr. Erdal Çelik and July 15 veteran Mehmet Akif Özdemir also made speeches.
Provincial Gendarmerie Commander Brigadier General Sabri Küyük, Provincial Police Chief Beyti Kalaycı, 49th Brigade Commando Brigade Deputy Commander Lieutenant Colonel Mehmet Böberci, AK Party Provincial Chairman Yılmaz Seven, July 15 veteran Ahmet Boğatekin, Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Kadir Çintay, deputy governors, institution directors, representatives of non-governmental organizations and citizens attended the program.