Minister Tunç: ‘Eight years have passed since July 15th, we are experiencing both sorrow and pride’

Justice Minister Tunç, speaking at the July 15 Symposium organized by SETA, said, ‘Eight years have passed since July 15. We are commemorating another anniversary. We experience both sorrow and pride.’ Justice Minister Tunç participated in the July 15 Symposium organized by the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA). SETA General Coordinator Nebi Miş and many staff members were present at the conference hall event. ‘We experience both sorrow and pride,’ said Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç, who delivered the opening speech of the program. ‘Eight years have passed since July 15. We are commemorating another anniversary, experiencing both sorrow and pride. We mourn for our martyrs; they became immortal, they became martyrs for this homeland, for our nation, for our flag, for our independence. On the other hand, we are proud of our nation’s glorious resistance, we are honored. We experience both feelings together. SETA holds a very important place among our country’s think tanks, especially with its valuable academics, professors, journalists, writers, and thinkers who constantly generate ideas on our country’s agenda, whether related to politics, economy, or social events and issues.’ Minister Tunç highlighted that SETA, with the statements of its valuable intellectuals, sheds light on society. ‘We sadly witness how international law is disregarded in Palestine,’ said Tunç, recalling the words of former President of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Alija Izetbegović. ‘We unfortunately see in Gaza how the entire international system is ineffective, how international law is being trampled upon. That’s why we will not forget coups, we will not forget coup attempts. Because unfortunately, when we look at our political history, forgotten coups have always been repeated. Therefore, in order for them not to be repeated, we need to remember, and to remember, such meetings and symposiums need to be organized, and we need to convey to our children and youth how bad a thing coups are, that they are crimes against humanity, that they aim at our national will.’ ‘We will not forget coups,’ emphasized Tunç, urging not to forget the treacherous coup attempt of July 15, 2016. ‘We lost 251 martyrs, we have 2,190 veterans. I pray to Allah for all our martyrs, may their souls rest in peace. We know our veterans who have undergone more than 50 surgeries, we are with them from time to time, and I would like to express our gratitude to those veterans. We will not forget coups, we will not let them be forgotten, and from now on, we will never compromise on our unity and solidarity as a nation to prevent such dark nights from happening in this country. The history of our country is a history of coups, with the 1960 coup ending the successful ten-year rule of the late Menderes government in a bloody way. The Prime Minister and Ministers of this country were sentenced to death.’ Tunç mentioned that the AK Party faced a closure case due to being founded by a veiled founder, saying, ‘They said the Parliament does not elect the President, and they violated the constitution knowingly. They invented a rule that is not in the constitution. They mentioned Republic rallies, the Council of State attack took place, and they issued a memorandum to the government. But our government gave a strong response, saying this is not your duty, and tore up and threw the memorandum into the trash, and showed a meaningful resistance against the complainant mentality. Afterwards, in the elections, it was appreciated by our nation and returned to power as the AK Party even stronger.’ Following Justice Minister Tunç, Miş stated, ‘One of the most important reasons for defining July 15 as a veiled job change is the open support of foreign states and their hosting of the coup leaders. The difference of July 15 coup attempt from previous ones is that our nation prevented this coup attempt with an epic resistance. This is also a turning point in Turkish political life and our democracy history. One of the most important elements in preventing the coup was not only political leadership but also the leadership of our President Erdoğan. During the leadership of our President, the harmfulness of coups for society, state, and democracy has been engraved in the social memory.’ Miş offered condolences to those who lost their lives in the coup attempt. The program ended after the photo shoot.