President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made important statements at the Turkish Grand National Assembly on the occasion of the July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day Commemoration Program.

Highlights from President Erdoğan's speech;

My dear nation, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairman Mr. Devlet Bahçeli, and esteemed members of parliament, I greet you with my most heartfelt feelings. I am delighted to be with you in our veteran Assembly on the ninth anniversary of the July 15th saga. Once again, we stand firmly shoulder to shoulder and united.

"I REMEMBER ALL OUR MARTYRS WITH MERCHANTS"

We recited the Fatiha for the souls of our cherished martyrs who defended our independence and future. I commemorate with mercy all our martyrs who courageously and dignifiedly stopped the uprising on the night of July 15th. I also offer my respects to our veterans who defended their homeland, their flag, and their call to prayer that night. I convey my gratitude to my citizens who filled the streets and squares, who embraced their future, who considered humiliation, captivity, and martyrdom a form of gratitude. I also extend my gratitude to our 7 million citizens abroad who prayed for us and expressed their support, and to our brothers and sisters who are concerned about Turkey and the Turkish nation.

"THE FETÖ LEADER'S TRAP WAS SHATTERED BY THE BRAVE STANCE OF OUR NATION"

The light of this blessed land illuminated different corners of the earth. Lands watered by the blood of martyrs for centuries are lands that have shaped history. For a thousand years, this nation has been a nation that has given hope to the oppressed and fear to its enemies. After Çanakkale, on the night of July 15th, that nation wrote a glorious epic that will be remembered with pride until the Day of Judgment, with all its being. This epic is the ultimate example of how strong and invincible we are when we stand united as a nation. That night, we triumphed over the mankurts who sold their souls. The trap of the FETÖ leader, who breathed his last stateless breath and was thrown into a pit, was shattered by the courageous stance of our nation.

"THAT NIGHT SERVED AS A LITMUSL PAPER"

The dirty swamp into which they tried to drag our country was drained forever that night. Our nation also repelled an invasion attempt. The test we passed with such pride on the night of July 15th became one of the most critical turning points in our history. The test we passed that night has no equal in our history. That night served as a litmus test. The fate of the nation was revealed at the crossing. While our nation heroically resisted, some were saying it was too late. Our martyrs and veterans refused to allow terrorists in military uniforms to pass, while others called it a game. Others were pursuing a wait-and-see strategy, sipping coffee served to them in safe houses.

"THEY LAYED IN LAUGHTER AND WATCHED WHO WOULD WIN"

We saw those who rushed to the squares and those who rushed to the ATMs, those who resisted the coup plotters and those who applauded them, those who lay in wait to see who would win. All of these have been etched in our nation's memory, never to be erased. Those who applauded the coup, those who slandered the July 15th saga, and those who positioned themselves according to the course of events will be remembered with shame. Those who defended the national will here that night, under this sublime roof, were engraved in golden letters in the hearts of the nation. While the Turkish nation heroically defended its independence in the streets, you, too, defended democracy and the will of the nation at the cost of your lives.

"A BRAND NEW ERA WILL BEGIN"

You did not cast a shadow over the nation's trust, as you did during the days of the War of Independence. On behalf of my nation and myself, I thank all our representatives, regardless of political party. May God bless you all. The sacrifices of our martyrs and our veterans were not wasted. The Terror-Free Turkey we are building step by step will, God willing, be their legacy. Our country will flourish in every field, and a brand new era will begin in every field. A Terror-Free Türkiye will unlock the path to a terror-free region.

We trust in our eternal brotherhood. We trust in the problem-solving capacity of our democracy. I wholeheartedly believe that, just as on July 15th, our nation will put aside all differences and support our country's struggle to rid itself of terrorism.