In his first official statement since an audio recording of a top secret security meeting between senior Turkish officials was leaked on the internet, Turkish president Abdullah Gul on March 28 said the leak exposed Turkey’s national security weaknesses. Calling the illegal wiretapping of the meeting an act of espionage against the security of the state, Gul said ‘‘the wiretapping of a meeting between the state’s most important bureaucratic heads is a huge act of insolence.’’
Revealing that he has discussed the issue with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Gul swore to expose those behind the plot and give them the heaviest possible punishment. Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that the leaking of wiretappings concerning a high level security meeting on Syria is a declaration of war. A video that appeared on Youtube showed that the meeting was spied on while possible threats to the Tomb of Suleiman Shah – Turkey’s only exclave in Turkish territory in Aleppo, Syria – were being discussed.