At the end of August last year, in the presence of President Erdoğan, a ceremonial award ceremony for graduates of the official corps took place, during which new officers raised their swords to the sky and declared: "We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal," and also swore to protect "the secular and democratic republic," founded by Atatürk in 1923.
Five officers and a battalion under his command were translated from the Turkish army due to their actions at the ceremony, where they pledged allegiance to the founder of the Mustafa Kemal Republic, which angered President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as reported by the Ministry of Defense.
The widespread discussion of photographs from the moment of taking the oath has become the cause of serious controversies because the army in the country is considered the protector of "Kemalist" values.
