The night of July 15, 2016, began like any other evening—but ended as a turning point in Turkiye’s modern history. It was a night of betrayal and defiance, fear and courage, but above all, a night when the strong will of the people determined the course of a nation.

The night of July 15 was etched in our nation’s collective memory as one of the longest nights but also one of the greatest epics in Turkiye’s glorious history.

It has been 10 years since the nefarious coup attempt of July 15 carried out by the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), which was foiled by our beloved nation’s honourable, courageous and heroic stance. It was the Turkish nation itself that proved decisive in repelling the existential threat of July 15 – a nation that recognises no power above its own will, and that demonstrated its readiness to lay down its life in defence of its state and democratic achievements. The Turkish nation and government turned this threat into a victory. The steadfastness of its institutions and the collective will of its people transformed the darkest night into a defining moment of national resilience.

Far from faltering, Turkiye emerged from that not weaker, but stronger — ushering in a new era marked by strategic empowerment.

In the aftermath of the FETO-led failed coup, Turkiye embarked on a new era of transformation powered by its strong past.

Turkiye has significantly expanded its diplomatic footprint, global reach and influence since July 15. As a result of its deepening and widening comprehensive policies, Turkiye has spawned the third-largest diplomatic network globally, with 264 missions.

This expansion is not merely a statistic, but a reflection of Turkiye’s determination to shape, not just observe, global events, prioritising regional peace and security through peaceful resolution and mediation, and regional ownership. As our Foreign Minister HE Hakan Fidan underscored several times, dialogue and diplomacy are needed now more than ever. This region can — and will — take ownership of its own challenges and resolve them together.

Today, Turkiye conducts a diplomacy that thinks globally but acts locally in every corner of the world by availing of several complementary political, economic, humanitarian, and cultural tools.

Turkiye navigated the COVID-19 pandemic and the disastrous earthquake of 2023 successfully. The........

© Al Jazeera