Consul General Ömeroğlu evaluated ‘July 15’ to the Turkish Minority press
Murat Ömeroğlu, Consul General of Türkiye in Komotini, evaluated the ‘July 15 coup attempt by FETO members’ to the Turkish Minority press.
Murat Ömeroğlu, Consul General of Türkiye in Komotini, evaluated the coup attempt carried out by the members of the treacherous Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETO) in the homeland of Türkiye on the night of July 15, 2016 to the members of the Turkish minority press.
Ömeroğlu evaluated the historical epic written by the Turkish people, who defended their homeland and their flag by shielding their chests from tanks and bullets, to the members of the Turkish Minority press, which he hosted.
Murat Ömeroğlu shared his thoughts on the coup attempt 6 years ago and the victory of democracy that followed.
Consul General Ömeroğlu, while evaluating the coup attempt by FETO members who infiltrated the organs of the state, ignoring the will of the nation, violating democracy and martyring hundreds of patriots, answered the questions of the members of the minority press.
QUESTION: Of course, the treacherous coup attempt of July 15 had very different consequences for our homeland. From this point of view, can we say that the process of July 15 and its following has positive reflections and consequences on the country?
ÖMEROĞLU: “The coup attempt that took place on the night of July 15, 2016, defeated the coup plotters thanks to the honorable resistance of our heroic nation, who filled the squares for the love of Türkiye, under the leadership of our President. The coup attempt ended with a great democracy victory against FETO.
The Turkish nation has stopped those who aim at our democracy for the sake of its homeland, for the sake of its nation, for the sake of democracy.
They showed to the whole world their attitudes towards FETO against these and similar attempts on the night of the treacherous coup of July 15.
Therefore, first of all, I commemorate all our citizens who were martyred in this struggle, whether civilian or military, with mercy and respect, and express my gratitude to our veterans. It is a fact that the fight against this scourge has very positive reflections on our country.
It has been clearly understood that FETO had infiltrated all key institutions and organizations such as education, law enforcement, and army, various ministries - including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - before the coup and used these institutions for its own purposes. It emerged with the operational studies and legal struggle after the coup maybe we can briefly call this process cleaning. In addition, the front formations, which were outside the state institutions and spread to all areas of the economy, ranging from education to the media and the banking sector, were also eliminated in this process.
To summarize very briefly, the "parallel state structure" of the organization was destroyed as a result of the deciphering of FETO's organizational structure within state institutions and the initiation of administrative and judicial processes against its members.
The fact that the state was cleansed of this harmful virus with a kind of timely surgical intervention should probably be noted as a positive and beneficial development in itself.
In fact, we all witness that Türkiye's performance in every field has increased in the years following 2016.
I think it cannot be a coincidence that this situation is coming to the same period as the FETO virus was cleared from the body.
In addition, the fact that our fight against FETO was carried out on the basis of the principles of the rule of law and the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms, despite the extraordinary security challenges we are facing, went down in history as a successful test given by Turkish democracy.
QUESTION: As the Turkish state, you have been in a struggle against terrorism and similar structures for many years. In this context, many treacherous members of the FETO terrorist organization are trying to flee to Greece, a neighboring country to Türkiye.
How do you find and evaluate the policies of the Greek government regarding the capture and extradition of the members of the organization in question?
ÖMEROĞLU: The July 15 Coup Attempt planned by FETÖ, carried out by the members of the organization infiltrated into our army, by going beyond the chain of command of the armed forces, caused the martyrdom of 251 of our citizens and the injury of more than two thousands of our citizens.
In the past 6 years, one of the main priorities of our state has been the fight against FETO at home and abroad.
As the structure of FETO in our country weakened, the terrorist organization changed its strategy and started to focus on foreign activities. Therefore, it has become more important to combat FETO activities abroad. The fight against FETO's foreign structuring is one of Türkiye's top priorities.
Based on the fact that FETO poses a security threat to other countries in which it operates, it is understood that the terrorist organization aims to create political and economic spheres of influence for itself, and does not hesitate to violate the laws of the countries in which it operates.
It is brought to the attention of all our interlocutors with concrete examples of how it works almost like a criminal and intelligence organization.
From time to time, you also make news that FETO members escaped to Greece via the Evros (Meriç) River.
Our relevant authorities ensure border security, prevent most of the illegal crossings, and regularly make an informative statement about FETO members caught trying to escape. However, despite this situation, it seems that Greece continues to be the most preferred escape point for FETO members.
From this point of view, it is possible to say that Greece has a certain attraction for FETO members.
I can say that it should be natural for anyone who can look at these data with an objective eye to conclude that Greece does not support Türkiye enough in the fight against FETO.
QUESTION: Journalist Mustafa Cambaz from Western Thrace was martyred during the treacherous coup attempt in Türkiye on July 15, 2016. As the Western Thrace Turkish Minority, we tried to be with you today, as we did in the past, during this process of the Turkish Republic. In this sense, what message would you like to give to the Turks and young people of Western Thrace?
ÖMEROĞLU: I think that the biggest surprise was experienced by the youth that night.
For the generations to which I belong, born in the 1970s and perhaps even the 80s, may have heard the word "coup" at certain times in their lives on television or read it in the newspapers.
However, for example, children and youth living in the center of Ankara, who were 10-15 years old that day, probably could not understand what happened when planes started to pass, or when their peers living in Istanbul saw tanks on the bridge or when their peers from all over the country read a statement on TRT.
They could not understand what happened and why their parents got angry when the word coup began to be pronounced on television.
But I am sure that they feel the rightful pride of being an individual and son of such a noble nation that prevented the coup, as well as the sadness of experiencing such a painful event at the dawn of the sun rising after that dark night in which the epic was written.
I was proud of our young people who showed heroic resistance on July 15th.
I once again believed that our country will exist forever with our youth, and the stance of the youth that night reinforced my belief.
There is a Turkish youth who, with their culture, knowledge and equipment, will protect our country against all kinds of threats and dangers and prepare them for the future.
I have no doubt that our young people will continue to work for the sake of Türkiye, hand in hand, in heart-to-heart cooperation.
During the heinous coup attempt, we felt the support of the Western Thrace Turkish Minority most closely.
On this occasion, I commemorate the deceased Mustafa Cambaz, who was martyred while resisting the coup attempt with great courage, with respect and gratitude.
The deceased Mustafa Cambaz has become a symbol of the resistance of the Western Thrace Turkish Minority against the treacherous 15 July coup attempt.
In the events to be held in Komotini and Xanthi, it will always take part in activities that will keep the name of our Western Thrace martyr Mustafa Cambaz alive.
