The Turkish Ambassador to Lefkoşa Metin Feyzioğlu has said that July 15, 2016, was not an isolated incident but the result of decades of meticulous planning and preparation by Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) in Türkiye.
He was reflecting on the process leading to what is now known as Democracy and National Unity Day during a programme on BRT he attended on Monday.
Speaking on the programme Manşet + on Monday, Türkiye’s Ambassador to Lefkoşa Metin Feyzioğlu emphasized the resilience shown on July 15, 2016, describing it as a pivotal moment where the conspirators faced an “iron will” and were thwarted.
He pointed out that the attempted coup was the culmination of FETÖ’s efforts to establish a parallel state structure through patient and detailed scheming.
Drawing historical parallels, Feyzioğlu mentioned that just as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk led a national struggle against forces that sought to divide and share the Ottoman Empire, similar long-term plans have been in place by various powers for centuries.
He stated that although the Treaty of Sèvres was rejected by Türkiye, its architects never abandoned their objectives.
Feyzioğlu also highlighted the ongoing support that terrorist groups like the PKK receive from Western forces, noting that rebranding it as the PYD has not changed the backing it gets in terms of weapons and other support.
He suggested that the PKK continues to be a part of the same broader scheme that FETÖ was involved in, indicating that while the puppets may change, the puppet masters remain the same.
Ambassador Feyzioğlu remarked on the dismantling of FETÖ’s domestic network in Türkiye, though he acknowledged that its operatives continue to work in conjunction with their handlers abroad.
Feyzioğlu pointed out that countries that ally with Türkiye but support the PKK are the same ones providing refuge to FETÖ members who fled after the failed coup. He detailed how the coup attempt was directed against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and what might have ensued if the coup had succeeded.
According to Feyzioğlu, had the coup been successful, the government would have been overthrown, the Treaty of Sèvres would have been resurrected and enforced, and rather than combating terrorism, negotiations would have been the order of the day.
Addressing the situation in Cyprus, Ambassador Feyzioğlu criticized the mindset that questions Türkiye’s presence in the TRNC, claiming that the idea of guarantees is outdated and suggesting that the so-called Republic of Cyprus, as an EU member, should provide sufficient guarantees.
He reminded that these same states remained silent during the atrocities committed between 1963 and 1974.
Ambassador Metin Feyzioğlu warned that within 5-10 years, the same strategies aimed at the Turkish Cypriots through assimilation could be implemented. He emphasized that the struggles in Libya, Karabakh, and Azerbaijan are also part of the broader vision for Türkiye’s century.
Also touching upon the July 15, 1974 Greek coup in Cyprus, he emphasized that the term “Peace Operation” for the July 20 military intervention is not an empty designation, as it brought comprehensive peace to the island and prevented the massacre of Greek Cypriots by the coup plotters.
He stated that July 20 marks the day when genocide on the island ended, the Cyprus issue was resolved, and the Turkish Cypriots’ right to life and future were secured.
“Peace has prevailed on this island for 50 years. Fifty years ago, weren’t villages raided, women and children massacred, and people forced to abandon their homes and seek refuge in big cities? This has not happened in the last 50 years. They have their own state, their own administration, and their future,” Feyzioğlu said, recalling the words of Founding President Rauf Raif Denktaş: “Protect your own state.”