We were in Japan for a week to follow President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s G20 meetings. We had the opportunity to closely follow the summit held in Osaka, then the exclusive Turkey-Japan meetings in Tokyo, and after that, the course of Turkey-China relations. Turkey’s efforts to overcome the one-sided dependency on the West, to interpret the patterns in the global power map and position itself accordingly, to re-establish itself based on this, to take advantage of the opportunity presented by this time range and turn to its own power domain is a centuries-old attitude. We continuously resisted, and have been paying a price both regionally and in Anatolia for this stance since the time of the Seljuks.

Protection, tutelage, enslavement, one-sided dependency was against our historical political legacy, but we had neither the power nor means – we had experienced great destruction and could not lift our heads up for a century. We did not surrender, we did not kneel, bit we demonstrated patience. We overcame for a new era, to be able to return to our center once again.

When history presented us that era, we took action. We launched a struggle to recover, to regain power, to expand out to our region again. Because we used to be a game-changing, a region-building nation. That is when the West, with which we were on the same axis, returned to its centuries-old political history with the Ottoman Empire, and attempted to hinder, stop and punish us.

They wanted us to remain small and hostage. It is when we stood against this that attacks started, one after the other. Being sieged from our borders, being attacked from within, every sort of coup and intervention, the organizations bred inside to eliminate anyone that charts a new path for Turkey were mobilized.

A great deal was tried from terrorism to economic attacks, from attempts to change the ruling government to killing this country’s leader.

Yet a different world was developing and rising. The Atlantic was losing its absolute global dominance for the first time ever, with great power ascensions taking place in the East, and the main axis of the world power structure shifting. We could not stand distant from these rising powers while we were being cornered by the West. We had to be ready for the world’s new power map. Because it was that great power shift that ushered us into this era.

Just as all this was happening, an incredible network, resistance was built within. As if it was not enough to corner Turkey in the East Mediterranean, in the north of Syria, in the Aegean islands, in Eastern Europe, to the most west of the Mediterranean, they started to try new ways to intervene from within. We saw many examples of this. Then we tested it once ore at the G20 summit.

Turkey was building strong relations with Russia, China, India and Asian countries in general. Their theories corresponded with the East’s reserves against the West. There was an incredibly positive atmosphere at the summit and bilateral meetings. The meeting between Erdoğan and U.S. President Donald Trump was also surprisingly positive.

Then suddenly all hell broke loose within. Anti-Syrian sentiment was re-ignited. Erdoğan’s political opponents took action once more right at that moment. The agenda within became so intense that it was clear that there were efforts to overshadow the great developments in Japan and blind the public with this purpose.

This is because those in question were not acting in accordance with Turkey’s agenda. They were spreading others’ agenda within. They wanted the S-400 crisis and F-35 embargo to continue. What is more, they were expecting the U.S. the impose sanctions on Turkey, the country to become economically bankrupt, and the government be stuck in a political quagmire.

This reveals to us the very critical reality that all the theories of the opposition within are “based on Turkey being punished from outside.” This political stance is in no way local. This inside intervention is a plan aimed at pressuring Turkey more from the outside in the near future, and preparing the ground for what is going to happen in the East Mediterranean.

The recent “organized criticism” aimed at Erdoğan and his circle is also part of this plan. It is a mental operation, an operation on social psychology, it aims to paralyze Turkey’s central power domain and the Justice and Development (AK) Party government’s political mind. It is much beyond the AK Party’s innocent criticisms among itself aimed at the reforms and innovations it will be making.

Turkey is grand when you look at it from outside. Its position on the global power map, its stance in the power shift, its attitude towards the future, and impact in its region are great. There are many operations aimed at overshadowing this greatness from within. Yet, there are so many major world-scale showdowns outside, around us that our current stance, our determination is going to shape this country for centuries.

At a time like this, there is a horrific attack, efforts to trivialize, disrepute those striving in all corners of the world, those working to grow Turkey, to break the circle of evil surrounding us.

If there are efforts to engrave in minds that loving a country’s president is “bootlicking,” then nothing is innocent here. Such a form of “inside intervention” is not possible in any other country. Because there are no buyers of something like this in any country other than Turkey.

The inside intervention is aimed at blinding us, making us miss out on history, and back Turkey into a wall again. It is aimed at negating the opportunity that came a century later, to shrink Turkey. Let us not fall into this trap.

Let us remember what we experienced a century ago. Let us think a little why that multinational front stood before us again today. Let us see who on the inside is using whose words and whose weapons they are carrying.

“One multinational front was built on the inside.” Let us take measures before paying a greater price. These are not internal political matters. Those telling you so are lying. Why have dozens of countries flocked to the East Mediterranean? Why has the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC) been surrounded? Why are missile bases being established in the Aegean islands? Why are the actions within and these developments so in compliance with one another?

Let us move away from all our prejudices, presumptions, angers, resentments, hatred, political identities and look again. That is when we will see a completely different picture.

After the Syria war, there is a shift to the new stages of the “Turkey front.” We owe it to our country to at least see who is standing where and with whom and in whose name they are taking action.

Of course Turkey is going to break this multinational siege. Of course it is going to continue its historical march. The amount of the price we pay depends on our attitude within. It depends on how much we pave the way for inside operations.

Come, let us respond to the threats surrounding Turkey together. Let us determine a common stance regarding the East Mediterranean. Let us destroy the front in northern Syria together. Let us join powers for the S-400 and Turkey’s search for defense.

But they will not do it. They will not say a single word. They are acting entirely in another front with respect to these national topics. Even this alone shows the inside intervention is actually an outside attack. How much are you aware of the danger?

No topic is an internal political matter anymore.