For the first time after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey is consolidating power. It activated its political, cultural, and geopolitical claims and heritage. Its dusted itself off and rediscovered its political legacy.

It thawed all the claims and cases that were frozen, postponed since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the establishment of the Republic of Turkey. It enforced everything that was taken from it, removed from its area of influence and taken hostage.

Turkey reclaimed its will, which was silenced up until now with pressure from the U.S. and Europe. It returned from the front to the center, from tutelage to local, it returned from Western capitals to Anatolia, from borrowed thoughts to its own ideas.

Turkey realized that it could build its ideology solely with its own essence. It realized that this ideology could be identified by none other than itself.

It realized that it could not survive with the mentality of the 20th-century, that being doomed to another 20th century would destroy it, that those whom it thought were “allies” are targeting the homeland, and that they are the ones posing the greatest threat.

Turkey is now a power country that has claims.

What should it have done, what else could this country have done! Should it have kneeled, surrendered and blindly accepted everything that was about to transpire? Should it have agreed to every role that was cast for it? Should it have accepted every destruction?

Should its state power, its political ideology, economy, intelligence organization, and military presence have been identified in Western capitals again? Should it have surrendered to their mercy, to their will?

Should Turkey have considered the roles assigned by them as “national” and thus deceived itself and its people for a few more decades?

Should it have been a voluntary soldier for the U.S., Europe, and the Atlantic axis’ 21st-century order? Should it have mobilized for Israel’s security?

Should it have been a hired gun so that the region could be invaded, occupied, and looted? Should Turkey have attached itself here while the West’s centuries-long colonialism is being reformatted?

It would never have been able to escape even if it did comply with all of this. Turkey was the main target. All because it became the Seljuks, it became the Ottomans, because it had shaped this region for centuries, it fought against the Crusades, and it fought against the West for centuries. This is our history, this is our legacy.

It was trying to be controlled, weakened, and downsized to prevent it succeeding once again. This was the plan, and the plan had come knocking on our borders.

The siege from the Iraqi and Syrian borders, the “terror corridor” map expanded from the Iranian border to the Mediterranean, the attempts to corner it in the East Mediterranean, the anti-Turkey fronts established in the Aegean, the drills conducted in the Mediterranean, all the operations to establish an Arab front through the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia were made to this end.

The danger on our borders was moved into the country on the July 15, 2016 coup attempt. Turkey was daggered in the heart. The biggest internal invasion operation in history was attempted on that day. This invasion was controlled by Turkey’s “allies.”

On that day, Turkey was going to be destroyed; it was going to be silenced for another century. On that day, the threat on our borders was going to flow in; foreign armies were going to march into Anatolia. On that day, the tutelage was going to turn into complete invasion, complete control, leaving behind a Turkey divided according to the new world order.

What else should this country have done? Should it have agreed to all this?

What was it supposed to say to those who told it, “Stop seeking natural gas in the Black Sea, do not look for oil in the Mediterranean, withdraw your fleet to your bases, we are going to establish a military buildup on the Syrian border so do not speak up, our men are going to run Turkey, kneel and surrender”?

Was it supposed to say, “Aye aye sir, your wish is our command”? No! Never! It could not have done this. It would not have done this. Submission would have meant suicide.

It did what it had to do. It turned within, it returned to its essence, its history, its mind, its power. It reclaimed its historical theories, claims, and legacy.

This was the great defense; it was the only defense. Turkey knew this. This is how it repelled every threat in this region for a thousand years. It had the experience.

It knew that this was the only path to survival. Turkey launched operations to build extraordinary strength, defense, and awareness. It expanded its defense lines, resistances lines into the depths of the region.

It established resistance lines with its brethren in the Caucasus, in Libya, in our southern regions. It overturned all the plans that were set to siege it. It did whatever was necessary to keep the southern, western and eastern gates open.

Turkey questioned the global system and became one of the main actors of the new world order, while it also awakened the region’s dynamics. It activated its region-building power.

Those who came to siege Turkey were shocked. They had not predicted such power activity in such a short time. A homeland axis, the “Turkey axis” was established.

The “leader like President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, country like Turkey” profile was now turning into a political wave that influences all countries and masses from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts.

But they did not stop. This time they carried the fronts established on our border’s zero point inside the country. They established an “anti-Turkey” front veiled by anti-Erdoğan sentiment.

They united the leftists, rightists, Islamists, liberals, nationalists, terrorist organizations, all individuals, groups, parties and organizations influenced by the West under a single roof. This structure is now working together to “topple Erdoğan.” But what they really want is to destroy and stop Turkey.

Neither the plan to topple Erdoğan, nor stop Turkey belongs to them. This is a case tasked to those claiming that “The first thing the new administration in the U.S. will do is dismiss Erdoğan,” and those saying that “We will strengthen the opposition in order to oust Erdoğan.”

We recovered for the first time since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. But they abandoned Turkey. Similar to the rise of the Seljuks, the rise of the Ottomans, we are now watching Turkey rise. We are lending it strength. But they do not support Turkey. On the contrary, they are against it.

They never supported Turkey in Libya, in Syria, in Karabakh, in the East Mediterranean, or in the Aegean. They did not give it strength. On the contrary, they sucked its power from within, and tried to weigh it down.

All fronts failed – just as this front will too. We are going to witness such events that they are going to be forgotten in the front they’ve imprisoned themselves in.

Groups among those who took action for a “parallel Turkey” after the “parallel state” project collapsed, and those who identify themselves as conservative and nationalist should re-evaluate their position.

All Turkey’s fights are now global. Even its internal policy. This is the only truth determining where we stand, because no political plan, personal ideology or opinion is above the Turkey ideology.

Every report to come from the Caucasus, the Mediterranean, the Black Sea, the Aegean, from the depths of the region will boost Turkey’s strength.

We are obliged to remove the wool over our eyes, our cognizance, our identity and stand on the “Turkey axis,” and give it strength. This is the showdown of centuries. It is the summary of all the struggles we have put up in this region for the last millennium.

Do not allow those who are making efforts within to cause desperation, hopelessness, those holding on to their old positions, those causing psychological frustration succeed. Believe in Turkey!