The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) planted hundreds of saplings in Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan and Croatia to commemorate the martyrs and veterans of the July 15 failed coup attempt led by the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).
TIKA planted 250 tree samplings at a community park in Pakistan's port city of Karachi to honor the people who sacrificed their lives to oppose the coup in Türkiye on July 15, 2016. The ceremony was attended by the local and Turkish community members, girl and boy scouts and media professionals to honor as many martyrs of July 15.
TIKA, which has already been carrying out a string of development, health and educational projects across Pakistan and other countries, will also further develop the park.
The ceremony began with a recitation from the Holy Quran by a visually impaired boy scout, followed by Turkish and Pakistani national anthems.
A "moment of silence" was also observed.
Addressing the ceremony, Vice Consul-General Oğuz Kozanlı said the martyrs of July 15 charted a new page in Türkiye's history with their blood, which will always be remembered.
He said the people and the security forces of Türkiye stood united and saved the democracy on July 15, 2016, with their unwavering resolve and unyielding commitment.
Halil Ibrahim Başaran, TIKA's Karachi coordinator, said Ankara and Islamabad have always stood together in trying times, whether it was devastating earthquakes in Türkiye in February this year or unprecedented floods in Pakistan last year.
The people of Pakistan stood by their Turkish brethren in their successful struggle against the conspirators who wanted to derail democracy in Türkiye on July 15.
In Croatia, TIKA planted saplings in the garden of the Sisak Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Islamic Cultural Center – inaugurated by the Turkish agency last year – to commemorate July 15 martyrs.
TIKA held a sapling-planting ceremony in Kyrgyzstan to commemorate July 15 at the Unity (Intimak) Park in Bishkek.
This year, which marks the seventh anniversary of the botched coup, events are being held under the theme of "Türkiye's Heroes of the Century" to honor the people who defended the country at the cost of their lives on the night of July 15.
The attempt by FETÖ to overthrow the government began around 10 p.m. local time (1900GMT) on July 15, 2016, and was thwarted by 8 a.m. the following day.
FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gülen orchestrated the defeated coup, which left 253 people dead and 2,734 injured.
Since its designation in October 2016, every year, the country marks July 15 as Democracy and National Unity Day, with events held to commemorate those who lost their lives beating back the putschists and to remember the bravery of the nation.
Ankara also accuses FETÖ of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state by infiltrating Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.
