These are very historic and extraordinary days for our country and people.

First of all let me thank all friendly governments which condemned the terrorist coup attempt and gave support to our President and the Government .

I am aware that you all follow the developments from the media since Friday evening. You were also invited to the meeting at the TGNA . You have witnessed the solidarity displayed by all political parties against the threat of disruption of democratic order in Turkey.

Our Embassies at your capitals are also sharing information in the same manner with your authorities.

Back to my briefing notes, let me summarize what happened:

On the evening of July 15th, a factionof the Turkish Armed Forces attempted to stage a coup in various cities of Turkey, particularly in Ankara and İstanbul.

It was understood in a short time that this was a terrorist campaign. The perpetrators fired at their own people, betrayed their commanders and bombed the National Parliament and the Office of the Presidency.

From the very beginning, the command chain and vast majority of the Turkish Armed Forces stood up against the coup attempt. It was merely some elements of the Air Forces, Gendarmerie and armored units that joined the violent conspiracy.

Both the police and public prosecutors immediately took necessary measures to foil the attempt.

Above all, it was the Turkish nation who thwarted the plot. They displayed a historic solidarity as they took to the streets and remained defiant. They stood bravely in front of the tanks and reclaimed their democratic rights.

The terroriststried to broadcast their message by taking over studios of the state TV (TRT) and raiding private media outlets. Yet the plotters’ attempt to control media did not last long. It must be noted that the Turkish media also played a key role in subsiding the coup attempt.

Throughout the process, all the political parties and Members of the Turkish Grand National Assembly stood firmlyby democracy, democratic politics, democratic institutions and the Constitution. A Joint Declaration on defense of democracy was issued during the extraordinary meeting of the General Assembly on the 16th of July.

During the operations held against the terrorist group, more than 7500 have been detained, and 218 of those have been arrested so far. These figures will change in time. 24 coup plotters are now identified as dead. 50 coup plotters captured wounded. The operations continue as more evidence unfolds from those who were captured and their victims.

Unfortunately, 208 of our citizens were killedand more than 1400 wounded. 60 of the dead are our police officers, 3 military personnel and 145 civilians.

A group of eight involved in the coup attempt fled to Greece onboard a helicopterthat they stole. Necessary steps have been taken for the return of the suspects and the helicopter. The Helicopter was returned and we look forward to expulsion of the 8 Turkish citizens from Greece as soon as possible.

We have solid proof that this coup attempt was staged by the Fethullah Gülen Terrorist Organization (FETÖ).

Our Government has been constantly exposing the real motives of this terrorist group and its leader, Fethullah Gülen, to all allies and partners. The foiled coup is the latest criminal act revealing the danger posed by FETÖ. We call all our partners and allies to take all possible measures to prevent the activities of this group in their soil.

Our President, Prime Minister, Government, Members ofTurkish Grand National Assembly and the Turkish people all together defeated this coup attempt and stood by democracy and rule of law.

The terrorists will be punished in accordance with the law.

However, despite all our efforts and very transparent media reporting, we are extremely frustrated by certain distorted comments and spinning by certain foreign politicians. While we hope to believe that these comments do not reflect the positions of the Governments of our partners, obviously they are not helpful in our efforts.

Current Security situation:

- The main backbone of the coup plotters have been captured and legal processes began.

- The Government and our nation nevertheless remain vigilant against possible attempts by individuals or residual cells to take revenge or to disrupt public order and security.

The impact of the coup attempt on Counter Terrorism efforts

As I said this is a very extraordinary situation where Turkey was hit by a terrorist coup plot. This henious attack was planned and carried at a time our country was already fighting the PKK/YPG and DEASH terrorism.

However, after this weekend, as a result of damage assessment and the coordination by our relevant agencies, I am pleased to inform you that the CT measures againt DEASH and the PKK/YPG continue. The support of our allies and its display in words and deeds will be much appreciated.