ANKARA
Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said the government will not back down from its fight against the 'state within the state', noting that the issue has become an "existential" matter.
"We will not let this nation's future be trampled upon, even if we have to sacrifice our lives," Davutoglu said in a televised interview Friday. "This is where it has come to; it has become an existential matter."
Davutoglu's remarks come as an audio recording appeared online Thursday of an illegally wiretapped high-level security meeting of Turkish officials, including the foreign minister.
The Turkish government accuses a 'parallel state' - comprising followers of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen and allegedly linked to foreign intelligence - of trying to topple Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's administration through a corruption probe that began on December 17 last year and online leaks of spying and phone hacking on high-ranking officials and businessmen.
Asked how it was possible for one of the highest-level security meetings among Turkish officials to be spied on, Davutoglu said technology brought numerous opportunities, which in turn were further complicated by the "human factor."
"I'm not saying this as an excuse; those responsible will be found," Davutoglu said.
He added that in the upcoming elections, voters would be faced with a decision not among various political parties by "between stability and chaos."
"I consider it important for our citizens to be conscious of this when they vote," he said.
Over the last decade the ruling AK Party's three-term rule has brought Turkey unprecedented economic growth and increased visibility on the international arena as a major regional player in the Middle East.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
