Turkish Embassy Commemorates July 15: The People United to Protect the Constitutional System
Maysa Al-Sukari: Turkish Ambassador to Kuwait, Tubanur Sonmez, affirmed that the 15th of July, Democracy and National Unity Day, holds a special and profound place in the Turkish national consciousness, as it represents a pivotal moment in the history of modern Turkey, embodying the Turkish people’s commitment to their democracy, sovereignty, and national will.
This statement was made during an event commemorating the tenth anniversary of the failed coup attempt that shook Turkey on July 15, 2016, organized by the Embassy at the Turkish Embassy Diwaniya. The event was attended by Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Human Rights Affairs, Ambassador Sheikha Jawaher Al-Sabah, and Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for International Organizations Affairs, Ambassador Sadiq Maaref, along with a number of ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions.
The Turkish Ambassador stated that that night represented one of the most serious challenges the country has faced, as the coup attempt targeted the constitutionally elected government, the constitutional system, national sovereignty, and the democratic values upon which the Turkish Republic is founded.
She added that the coup attempt included an assassination attempt on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the bombing of the Turkish Parliament building, attacks on state institutions, and assaults on innocent civilians, in an effort to impose the will of a clandestine organization on the state and the Turkish people.
She emphasized that what the coup plotters did not anticipate was the firm resolve of the Turkish people, who took to the streets by the millions to defend democracy, united across different political and social affiliations around a single goal: protecting the constitutional system and the popular will.
She further noted that the courage, determination, and sacrifices of the Turkish people in confronting the coup served as irrefutable proof of the Turkish Republic’s commitment to democratic values, affirming that July 15 became a historic turning point that demonstrated the people’s steadfastness in defending democracy, national will, and independence.
She pointed out that the coup attempt was thwarted by the morning of July 16, but it left heavy losses, with 253 citizens martyred, more than 2,200 people injured, as well as damage to public institutions and national property.
