Turkey has adopted a new security concept following the July 15 failed coup attempt, experts said at the Tunisian capital of Tunis on Nov. 22, speaking at a panel titled "Turkey and the Maghreb countries: Opportunities for mutual cooperation and future perspectives."

At the panel, organized by Turkey's leading think tank, the SETA Foundation, Prof. D.r Burhanettin Duran said, "On July 15, the Gülenist coup plotters had expected to receive the opposition's support but the Turkish people defended their democracy upon calls from their President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan."

Underlining that the Turkish foreign policy has undergone a historic transformation and the country has adopted a new security concept after the July 15 coup attempt, Professor Duran said the attempt has showed that Turkey cannot remain stable unless the system of governance is reformed and the nation's international affairs are put in order.

"Before the July 15 coup attempt Turkey was unwilling to go beyond issuing warnings to the international community about the humanitarian crisis and growing terror threats in the Middle East. However, after the coup attempt, Turks are increasingly relying on hard power instruments. Ankara has launched a ground operation to create a 5,000-square-kilometer safe zone in northern Syria, and made it clear to Baghdad that it will not allow sectarian clashes in Mosul." Duran said

Associate Professor Fahrettin Altun in his speech said Turkey has also been in a low-intensity war since 2013.

"Beginning with the Gezi demonstrations, it continued with the interventions initiated by the deep state, the Gülenist Terror Group's (FETÖ) use of illegal power and became worse with the PKK's new wave of terror, but the last circle in this chain of low-intensity war was the coup attempt on July 15." He underlined Turkey was able to pull through these attempted attacks by protecting its political stability. Altun reminded that the failed July 15 coup attempt allowed for the creation of an atmosphere of cohesive national unity and these developments provided the window of opportunity to implement a new security concept.

"Turkey began the transnational operations just 40 days into the July 15 coup attempt, something it was unable to do for nearly three years. Operation Euphrates Shield has been a great success against Daesh," he said.