Turkish President Erdogan: “The people will not allow the defeat of July 15 to be forgotten and erased from memory.”

Celebrating the Day of Democracy and National Unity, the President of Turkey said that the nation will not allow the failed coup d’état on July 15, 2016 to be forgotten and erased from memory, no matter how much time passes.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who participated in the commemoration of July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day in Istanbul on Saturday, said that the coup attempt was aimed at creating division between the Turkish nation and the Turkish army.

Turkey on Saturday marked the seventh anniversary of the 2016 coup d’état by the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ).

Speaking at the “Turkey’s Heroes of the Century” event, Erdogan said: “Just as we know the traitors from FETÖ, we have registered the institutions that support the traitors in a way that will not be erased from our memory.”

Since its official establishment in October 2016, July 15 is celebrated every year as the Day of Democracy and National Unity.

The failed coup, which resulted in 253 deaths and 2,734 injuries, was organized by FETÖ and its US-based leader Fethullah Gülen.