Honorable guests, my dear fellow citizens,

Distinguished Members of the Media,

I would like to welcome you all and thank you all for being with us today to commemorate the fifth Anniversary of the 15 July failed Coup attempt by FETO Terrorist Organization against the Government of the Republic of Turkey.

I would like to share with you the background of the FETO Terrorist organization with a view to make crystal clear in your minds before explaining what happened at the night of 15^th July 2016 in Turkey.

It all started back in the 1970s under the guise of a charitable education effort in Turkey and abroad. Fethullah Gülen, a religious preacher, and his followers disguised themselves as a benign education movement, when they started the campaign of establishing schools in Turkey and later around the world. At the peak of their power, they controlled thousand schools in Turkey and more than eight hundred private educational institutes worldwide.

We now understand that this was the first step of an infiltration campaign where kids and their parents were recruited with innocent promises of a better education followed by a good job opportunity. They turned into unquestioning foot soldiers of Fethullah Gülen movement. The goal was to subvert the democratic foundations of the Turkish state and establish a new anti-democratic one under the absolute rule of Gülen. Attaching great importance to confidentiality in its structure, the organization give code names to its members apart from their real names to ensure secrecy.

There were mass-scale exam cheatings as well. In order to infiltrate the critical government posts, FETO affiliated students were provided with the answers to entrance exams including the Army College, the Police Academy entrance exams, The Centralized Public Service Admission Tests, Military Schools and other governmental jobs.

The crime syndicate behind all this devised and ran an integrated system that took care of recruitment through schools and cram schools, while financing was taken care of their holding companies and donations from business people under their control. The organization also established media houses to shape public opinion for and against any person, group or idea.

As the organization became more affluent, it started meddling in business transactions and government tender processes. Laundering enormous sums of money, arranging illegal transfers of cash and other financial crimes became business as usual.

The FETO members infiltrating critical state posts abused their power to eliminate whoever opposed the organization, by illegal wiretapping, fabricating evidence, unlawful arrests, thereby intimidating and blackmailing a large segment of the society including politicians, businessperson, and journalists.

Gülen has become and is one of the serious threats to Turkey as well as international community.

He and his followers planned and tried to capture the Turkish Republic on 15 July 2016.

His disciples within the armed forces did not shy away from using lethal military force against civilians, killings 251 and wounding thousands. They tried to assassinate the President of the Republic of Turkey. They attacked the Prime Minister’s vehicle and air bombarded the Turkish Parliament. The Presidential Complex, the buildings of the National Intelligence Organization and Turkish National Police departments were attacked. The crucial counter terrorism operational Center of Turkey in Ankara was bombed, killing 55 police officers.

The Chief of General Staff and the current Minister of Defense, General Hulusi Akar was held hostage by the plotters during the coup attempt.

In the light of these facts, various countries and international organizations have declared FETO as a terrorist organization.

The coup attempt on July 15^th 2016 was brought down and halted by the brave Turkish people with their self-sacrifice and utmost devotion.

Before finishing my speech, I would like to emphasize my gratitude that The Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe did not give any space to FETO in Zimbabwe to organize and cultivate their vicious and heinous plans.

Lastly, I would like to have this opportunity to express my gratitude to the people who lost their lives and were wounded to defend our motherland and democracy; I wish Allah’s mercy upon them.

Thank you!

Hakan KIVANÇ