Turkey’s PM says AKP will not succumb to ‘Jewish lobby’

ISTANBUL – Anadolu Agency

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Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has said his government will not succumb to the Jewish lobby, the Armenian lobby or the lobby of the Turkish-Greek minority, a sentence he said in regards to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s words on Jan. 31 that the Gülenists in the country, which he dubs “the parallel structure,” have joined forces with the Israeli intelligence service.

“I announce it from here: we have not and will not succumb to the Jewish lobby, the Armenian lobby or the Turkish-Greek minority’s lobbies,” said Davutoğlu during a speech at the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) provincial congress in Istanbul Feb. 8. “I call out to the parallel lobby that sent them a message: We will stand before you with dignity no matter where you are; you will be despicable for the treason you have done to this nation.”

While addressing a meeting of business leaders in Istanbul on Jan. 31, Erdoğan had said the U.S.-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen’s supporters, “the parallel structure,” was in cooperation with Israeli intelligence organization, the Mossad.

 “The sincere people backing this parallel structure should see this structure is cooperating with … Shame on them if they still cannot see that this structure is cooperating with the Mossad,” Erdoğan said.

Erdoğan accuses the followers of Gülen of illegal wiretappings and a “coup attempt,” starting from the revelation of a large corruption investigation in December 2013 that included four former ministers and their sons, who were later acquitted of all the charges pressed against them.