SAKARYA PROVINCE — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated on June 27, 2026, that the July 15, 2016 coup attempt was connected to "the genocidal, occupying, and expansionist ideology called Zionism." Erdogan addressed a Justice and Development Party (AKP) conference in Sakarya Province, east of Istanbul, which commemorated the party's upcoming 25th anniversary.

Erdogan asserted that the 2016 coup attempt, staged by members of Turkey's military, was not directed solely at him or the AKP. "When FETO carried out its treacherous coup attempt, it was not directed only against me or against the AKP, but against Turkey and against all of its 86 million citizens," he said. Ankara has previously linked the coup to Fetullah Gülen, a preacher and former ally based in the U.S. who died in October 2024. Gülen denied responsibility for the attempt. Erdogan's government has arrested over 500,000 individuals it claims are linked to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and purged political figures from public life. Erdogan referred to these actions as "cleansing Turkey of the FETO betrayal network" conducted for the sake of "our state, our nation, and our future."

Regarding internal disputes, Erdogan stated, "Turkey has lost years, energy, and young people in the prime of their lives through unnecessary debates, conflicts, and disputes that were worthless." He called for national unity on issues including the "Terror-free Turkey process," foreign policy, security, and the advancement of rights. Erdogan added that the population "shares a common faith as followers of the same prophet," noting that "this faith unites us, brings us together, and makes us one nation." He acknowledged that interpretations and lifestyles may differ but stated, "Our proposed solutions, lifestyles, and sensitivities may differ [but] ultimately, we all live together on the same homeland, under the same flag, beneath the shadow of the same crescent." Erdogan clarified that nobody with a Turkish identity card is a "guest, tenant, refugee, outsider, or a stepchild in their own homeland," but rather "on the contrary, every one of them is an owner and host here." Addressing headscarves, Erdogan claimed women choose to cover their hair "freely, whether religious or not" and recalled that "girls in this country, including my own children, were prevented from studying and working while wearing headscarves for decades." He concluded by saying, "You oppose what is normal" regarding opposition to the practice.