By Iclal Turan
WASHINGTON (AA) - A commemoration ceremony took place Tuesday at the Turkish Embassy in Washington, DC to observe the ninth anniversary of the 2016 defeated coup attempt in Türkiye.
The event began with a moment of silence and the Turkish national anthem, followed by a Quran recitation to commemorate the victims of the coup attempt, which was carried out by members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).
Nearly 200 guests attended the commemoration, including US officials, diplomats from various countries and members of the Turkish-American community.
Ankara’s Ambassador to Washington, Sedat Onal, said the day serves as a solemn reminder of the ultimate sacrifice made by Turks in protecting democracy.
“We renewed our commitment to democracy in Türkiye. Actually, there is no room for complacency, because the threat is there,” Onal said, warning that despite efforts to dismantle FETO within Türkiye, its network remains active abroad, including in the US.
“This network works under many guises -- charities, businesses, media outlets. But at the heart of things, the objective remains the same: not only to harm Turkish interests, but also to try to infiltrate, as they did in Türkiye, into the arteries of the society and country in which they operate,” he added.
US lawmakers Pete Sessions and Ryan Zinke sent video messages to the ceremony, expressing solidarity with the Turkish people.
Former US Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy for Syria James Jeffrey addressed the event, saying: “Türkiye has gone from success to success domestically and abroad” since the coup attempt.
Jeffrey praised bilateral relations, saying: “We are today seeing the closest relationship between the United States and Türkiye that I have seen in my 23 years of involvement in this country and the broader Eurasian region.” He highlighted Türkiye’s role in supporting Ukraine, facilitating diplomacy in the Black Sea and the Caucasus, and the PKK’s disarmament process.
Oussama Jammal, secretary general of the US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO), called the coup attempt “an attack on the will of the people,” carried out by “a group with a hidden agenda and foreign backing.”