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Coup anniversary in Ankara
Türkiye marked the 10th anniversary of the defeated 2016 coup attempt with ceremonies and public events, including a commemoration ceremony hosted by the Turkish Embassy in the United States that began with a moment of silence and the Turkish national anthem.
Turkish Ambassador to the US Sedat Onal said, "Almost 10 years ago today, the treacherous terrorist organisation, FETO, tried to topple the elected government," and he added that Türkiye has since made "substantial progress" in diminishing and dismantling the terror organisation.
The TRT World account ties the July 15, 2016 attempt to a death toll of 253 people killed and 2,734 wounded, and it says Fetullah Gulen died on October 20, 2024, in the US state of Pennsylvania.
In Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Türkiye would continue its fight against the FETO terrorist organization until the threat was completely eliminated, warning against complacency despite what he described as declining morale within the group following the death of its leader.
Erdogan made the remarks during the “10th Year of July 15: The Will Is Ours, The Victory Is Ours” program at Baskent Millet Bahcesi, and he said, "As long as FETO exists, the fight against FETO will also continue."
Erdogan’s warning on FETO
Erdogan warned that Türkiye could never afford to become complacent in the fight against what he called an insidious network, saying, "Although FETO has lost its guard, hope and motivation following the death of the terrorist organization’s leader, we can never afford to become complacent."
He also said Türkiye would pursue the organization’s “crypto elements” carefully, cautiously and meticulously without falling into traps, adding, "We will pursue the organization’s crypto elements carefully, cautiously and meticulously without falling into the traps FETO wants to draw us into."
The Anadolu Ajansı account describes Erdogan praising the Turkish nation’s resistance to foil the “treacherous July 15 coup attempt,” and it says he commemorated with gratitude the 253 people who were killed while defending the country, the flag, the call to prayer and the national will.
In a separate message, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said Erdoğan’s leadership and the Turkish people’s unity were decisive in defeating the failed July 15, 2016 coup attempt, and he described the events as a defining moment in Türkiye's modern history.
Aliyev said, "Your determined and farsighted leadership, together with the unity of your people around you and their immediate response to your calls, became one of the main factors that saved your country from a great disaster on that critical night," framing Azerbaijan’s support for Türkiye under the principle of "One nation, two states."
Europe-facing symbolism and protocol
Beyond the coup anniversary messaging, the Türkiye Today coverage of the NATO Summit in Ankara places Emine Erdoğan at the center of a contrast with the 2004 NATO Summit in Istanbul, when state protocol effectively excluded women wearing the Islamic headscarf from many official functions.
MNTV’s account says that in 2004, when President Sezer hosted NATO leaders and their spouses at the historic Dolmabahçe Palace, Prime Minister Erdoğan received an invitation without his wife, and it quotes lecturer Zeeshan Malik saying, "The understanding at the time was that some Western leaders and even their spouses would be uncomfortable appearing alongside a headscarf-wearing woman."
MNTV then describes a different scene in 2026, saying Emine Erdoğan was present at virtually every major protocol event, personally welcoming presidents, prime ministers and their spouses at the Presidential Mansion and chairing a parallel spouses’ meeting at Çankaya Presidential Mansion.
The same MNTV piece frames the shift as a change in Türkiye’s posture toward Europe and NATO, with Malik saying, "History had changed," and that Emine Erdoğan, wearing her signature light green headscarf, was present at virtually every major protocol event.
In parallel, TRT World’s account of the US commemoration ties the anniversary to Türkiye’s stated security partnership with the United States, with congressman Joe Wilson saying in a video message that the day honours the "courage and resilience" of those who stood in the defence of their nation's democratic institutions.
