RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Faculty member at the University of Indonesia, Muhammad Syaroni Rofii, shared his account of the failed 2016 coup d'etat in Turkiye at a commemorative event in Jakarta marking the tenth anniversary of the attempt on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. He viewed the successful resistance from the government and people laid the groundwork for stability in the country, which ultimately affected its cooperation with Indonesia.

"2016... is my last year as a PhD student. So, if the (existing Turkish government) regime collapsed, my program would be unfinished because of the situation," Syaroni said, starting his story when he was a student in the Turkish largest city of Istanbul.

He said that he was in his dorm in the Besiktas district when a faction within the Turkish Armed Forces started taking over the public broadcaster TRT on the night of July 15, 2016, and he saw the announcement on the broadcaster. As a scholar who studied democracy and civil-military relations, he understood this as a coup d'etat.

"At the same time, on our rooftop, the F-16 jet surrounded us, and then the helicopter also surrounded our dormitory... So, of course, when we see that situation, we feel that the situation is really frightening," he said.

Syaroni then said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was later shown on a private broadcaster, CNN Turk, as he took a video call with an announcer. He called on people to take to the streets and openly protested the attempted coup, and it worked well.

However, he said that some people in Indonesia at the time still didn't know whether the coup was fabricated or not. According to him, this is because most Indonesian media relied on global news sources instead of having an on-site reporter.

"Therefore, people around the world would conclude this is a fabricated coup, and so on. But at the time, as students, we explained what happened in Turkiye," he said.

Syaroni viewed Turkish people not wanting to let their democracy down, as Turkiye had previously experienced several coups, and some were successful. Looking at the unrest in other countries surrounding Turkiye and the Middle East in the 2010s, Syaroni highlighted the importance of Erdogan at the time in restoring stability after the coup.

"I conclude that Turkey is the last bastion of democracy in the Middle East. Because if Turkey collapses, there will be instability in the Middle East," he said.

Syaroni also explained that Indonesia and Turkiye have potential for collaboration, highlighting their G20 membership and defense industry cooperation. He insisted that Indonesia and Turkiye are now able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the world's developed nations.

"I think Indonesia and Turkey can collaborate and can become a significant key player in (the) Muslim world, and then in the world," he concluded.