CHP's Bağcıoğlu responds to Erdoğan on 'lieutenants': 'Atatürk is the eternal commander-in-chief of the TSK!'

The chanting of the slogan "We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal" by lieutenants at the Military Academy graduation ceremony held on August 30, and their act of crossing their swords to recite the traditional oath after the protocol had left the ceremony area, became a major topic of discussion.

ERDOĞAN HAD TARGETED THEM

President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated yesterday regarding the issue: "Recently, some exploiters appeared at the graduation ceremony and drew swords. Against whom are you drawing these swords? All necessary investigations regarding these individuals are being conducted, and those few who do not know their place will be purged."

Retired Rear Admiral Yankı Bağcıoğlu, CHP Deputy Chairman responsible for the Ministry of National Defense, held a press conference regarding the issue and Erdoğan's remarks.

Bağcıoğlu said the following:

"I am making these assessments as the Deputy Chairman of the CHP, which played a leading role in the salvation of the Turkish nation and the establishment of the Republic, and which Atatürk considered one of his two greatest works, but more importantly, as a retired soldier and a graduate of the Military Academy. I think that while evaluating this process, one must definitely keep this in mind: The activity that is currently being blown out of proportion is a ritual that has been going on for years. In my research on the internet, it is an oath ceremony that continued until the early 1990s, then persisted until 2016, was interrupted in 2016-2017—as you remember, the military academies did not graduate students after the treacherous coup attempt—and was then held from 2018 until 2023. There is no element of crime in this ceremony."

'IT IS NOT FAIR TO GAIN POLITICAL RENT'

"As for the sword-crossing incident—as you all know, and the Turkish nation is following this—the history of the Turkish Land Forces dates back to 209 BC; the 'sword is an integral part of the ceremonial uniform.' The act of crossing swords at ceremonies, that is, hitting the swords together, is always done. It is done whether within the official ceremony or outside the official ceremony. To give an example, this sword-crossing event is sometimes performed even at the weddings of officers to show happiness. Therefore, it should be remembered that this is also a routine activity."

"As we all know, this sword-crossing event was also performed, for example, in 2021 at the joint ceremony of the Air Force Academy and the Naval Academy. Videos of this are available on social media. Therefore, this is not a new event. It is not fair to gain political rent from this; to pursue political goals as if it were tutelage, a coup plotter, or some other formation. I think it is also not appropriate at all to drag the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) into these political debates."

"DIGNITY ASSASSINATION PRACTICES OF THE FETÖ ERA WERE CARRIED OUT"

"These young lieutenants are doing this with the enthusiasm of joining the army of the eternal Commander-in-Chief Mustafa Kemal Atatürk after five years of training on the morning of August 30. These friends have already been under control and examined for five years at the Military Academy under the National Defense University. Therefore, is it appropriate to accuse these children in this way? The tweets posted immediately after this ceremony, the statements made, the statements of some members of the press... These are unacceptable. The dignity assassination practices of the FETÖ era were carried out against these children and the TSK. We are surrounded by a ring of fire; there are conflicts to our north, conflicts to our south, the separatist terrorist organization still poses a threat, our neighbor in the west is waiting ready, but you are trying to wear down the entire TSK with an artificial debate and slanders... You are offending the Atatürkist segment, and those who do not accept the Atatürk mentality are not Turkish citizens in my eyes; they cannot be accepted as the Turkish nation."

'ATATÜRK IS THE ETERNAL COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE TSK'

"Atatürk is the eternal commander-in-chief of the TSK. Everyone accepts this. Respect for his commander-in-chief status is the duty of these lieutenants. Atatürkism has been adopted as a principle in the Constitution. It has been determined in the National Defense University Military Academies Regulation that the education system should be based on Atatürkist values. Therefore, I want to state that slanders such as tutelage, coup, or other types of illegal formations are unacceptable. If a coup or tutelage is being sought, we must consider the wearing down of the TSK with plots during the FETÖ era, the liquidation of military personnel through judicial processes starting in the 2000s, some of them dying in prisons, and some of them dying after falling ill upon being released from prison. That is the main national security problem; that is the real coup. On the night of July 15, 252 of our citizens were martyred to prevent the treacherous coup attempt. But besides that, who supported them? It was 96 percent of the TSK. Those who did not leave their barracks, those who did not let the FETÖ members leave their barracks... These were all military personnel loyal to Atatürk's principles and revolutions, and to the secular, democratic Republic. They were officers, non-commissioned officers, and specialized sergeants. Therefore, this must also be taken into account when making evaluations."

'IS SAYING 'WE ARE THE SOLDIERS OF MUSTAFA KEMAL' A CRIME?'

"This activity is a ritual that has been going on for years. It was done when the President was Prime Minister, and it was done when he was President. This activity was done both during the ceremony and after the ceremony. In a civilian university, throwing caps might be a ritual. But in the Turkish Military Academies, where the structure is discipline, this sword-crossing is a sign of joy, happiness, graduation, and saying goodbye to the Harbiye. Secondly, please examine the words of the oath taken. There is no element of crime in the words. Is saying 'We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal' a crime? If you examine the memoirs or the book of Turgut Özakman in 1922, you will hear our peasant women who saw the Turkish soldiers saying 'Kemal's soldiers have come'; this process starts there. When Azerbaijani leader Abulfaz Elchibey visited Turkey in 1994, didn't he say 'Hello, Mustafa Kemal's heroic soldiers' while greeting the Presidential ceremonial guard? Therefore, there is no harm in saying 'Mustafa Kemal's soldiers.' There is nothing more natural than this."

'ATATÜRK IS OUR COMMON AND HIGHEST VALUE'

"This ritual is performed after the official ceremony. In other words, it is not an act that disrupts the official ceremony or breaks discipline. It does not disrupt the order of the official ceremony. We have seen such events in the past, and social media hitmen immediately get involved. 'A group of 90-100 people.' There is absolutely no discrimination or separatism here as far as I can see. The whole class is united under Atatürk without any political thought; these friends may have other political views, they may have other thoughts, but their common roof is Atatürk and Atatürk's values. That is why we are making this speech above politics here. Our Chairman has clearly stated the CHP's stance on this issue. This is a situation above politics. We are following this issue. Atatürk is our common and highest value."

"I BELIEVE A FAIR, ATATÜRKIST RESULT THAT WILL SATISFY THE TURKISH NATION WILL EMERGE"

Bağcıoğlu answered the question, "President Erdoğan said, 'It is not possible for them to be in our army. We will purge them,' and stated that there were 30-50 people, but we see almost all of the graduates there in the footage. Do you have an assessment regarding this?" as follows:

"Currently, the Ministry of National Defense is conducting an investigation. I believe that our authorized commanders, led by our Minister of National Defense, who have emerged from the bosom of the TSK and have commanded for years, will show the necessary sensitivity on this issue. Therefore, I believe that a fair, Atatürkist result that will satisfy the Turkish nation will emerge. It is impossible for students who have been trained at the Military Academy for five years, whose every detail has been scrutinized while being admitted to the school and during their time at the school, and who are under the command of the National Defense University, to be involved in any other illegal formation, idea, or thought. It is a demonstration done innocently with the excitement of that day. 'We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal,' of course we are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal. Being a soldier does not necessarily mean taking up arms and doing something. Therefore, I evaluate that the fairest and most appropriate result will be obtained. But I also advise against taking initiatives that will cause low morale in the TSK—not just for the 960 lieutenants here, but for the entire institution. Because there is a TSK that is truly dealing with many threats from the north, south, east, and west, with the PKK and the YPG. These lieutenants will complete their training and be on duty at the tip of the barrel in Iraq and Syria in six months, risking martyrdom. They must also evaluate this."

CHP's Yankı Bağcıoğlu said he had no information regarding the "news that the commander had resigned."

News Source: 12punto