Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan restated his claims that the July 15, 2016 coup attempt was organized by "the genocidal, occupying, and expansionist ideology called Zionism," during a speech commemorating the upcoming 25th anniversary of his Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Sakarya Province, east of Istanbul, on Saturday.
The coup was staged by members of Turkey's military, which Ankara linked with Fetullah Gülen, a preacher and former Erdogan ally, who was based in the US and disagreed with Erdogan chipping away at Turkey's secular policies. Gülen denied responsibility for the coup.
Gülen died in October 2024. In the nearly 10 years since the coup, Erdogan's government has arrested over half a million people it claims are linked to what it calls the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), and purged many political figures and celebrities from Turkish public life for their alleged ties to Gülen or FETO.
"When FETO carried out its treacherous coup attempt, it was not directed only against me or against the AKP, but against Turkey and against all of its 86 million citizens," Erdogan said on Saturday.
The purges, which Erdogan referred to as "cleansing Turkey of the FETO betrayal network," were done for the sake of "our state, our nation, and our future," he added.
Without explicitly tying the two, his next immediate comment claimed the same about "the genocidal, occupying, and expansionist ideology called Zionism," saying it also "threatens not only me, not only our party, and not only our alliance, but everyone."
"When we fight Zionism, we are not conducting a personal struggle for ourselves - we are conducting this struggle for our own survival and for the collective survival of our nation," he continued.
"For approximately 40 years, when the terrorist organization was shedding blood, it did not distinguish between you and me. It attacked our entire nation, Kurds and Turks alike," he added.
"Today, when we seek to end terrorism, we are not doing so for one particular segment or for the interests of one particular group. We are ending it for our country, homeland, state, and nation," Erdogan said.
Erdogan: 'Do not waste Turkey's energy on artificial tensions'
Erdogan also denounced internal disputes within Turkish society, between Left and Right, Alevi and Sunni branches of Islam, ethnic Kurds and ethnic Turks, and others.
Turkey has lost "years, energy, and young people in the prime of their lives through unnecessary debates, conflicts, and disputes that were worthless," he noted.
"For years, they forced this nation to pay very heavy prices and endure immense suffering. We no longer want our nation to pay new prices, or waste the country's energy on artificial tensions," he added.
He claimed, however, that Turkish people will "have differences of opinion," and that this creates "part of our richness." Yet, at the same time, called on seeking common ground on national issues, "particularly the Terror-free Turkey process, as well as foreign policy, security, and the advancement of rights and freedoms."
Erdogan claims all of Turkey's population shares common history, faith, while saying 'interpretations may differ'
Erdogan also commented on Turkish society and unity, saying that "all of Turkey, all 86 million of us, share a common history, a common destiny, and a common homeland watered by the blood of our martyrs."
Turkey's population also "shares a common faith as followers of the same prophet."
"This faith unites us, brings us together, and makes us one nation," he added.
However, he attempted to explain differences within Turkish society, saying that "our interpretations may differ, our thoughts, understandings, and assessments may differ," he continued.
"The ways in which we address issues may differ. Our proposed solutions, lifestyles, and sensitivities may differ [but] ultimately, we all live together on the same homeland, under the same flag, beneath the shadow of the same crescent," he said.
Nobody who owns a Turkish identity card is a "guest, tenant, refugee, outsider, or a stepchild in their own homeland. On the contrary, every one of them is an owner and host here," he stated.
Erdogan: 'Female head coverings are normal in Turkey'
Erdogan also claimed that those who "look down on" women who wear headscarves for Islamic or other cultural reasons are "creating tension in society and polarizing women."
"You oppose what is normal," he added.
These women choose to cover their hair "freely, whether religious or not," he claimed. "Girls in this country, including my own children, were prevented from studying and working while wearing headscarves for decades," he added.