Former Chief of Staff İlker Başbuğ said the Turkish state would have faced total collapse if the July 15 Gülenist coup attempt had been successful.Speaking at the ad-hoc Parliamentary July 15 coup attempt investigation commission, Başbuğ said Turkey is going through "a very serious period and the threat is very serious." "I don't even want to think about the possibility of the July 15 coup attempt being successful. But if [the Gülenists] had been successful none of the fundamental principles of the Republic of Turkey such as the rule of law, secularism and democracy would exist," he said.Defining the Turkish Armed Forces' (TSK) command level's resistance against the coup plotters as "the most important factor in the failure of the coup," Başbug emphasized that he supports every effort in fighting the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ). "I support all the efforts that aim to take the terror cult, FETÖ, off Turkey's agenda," he said. "It's not today's priority to discuss the reasons for this struggle against FETÖ.""The July 15 coup attempt was not a military coup. This attempt was organized and orchestrated by Fetullah Gülen and his soldiers who infiltrated the TSK. In this regard, it is totally different from the previous military coups," he added.The ad hoc parliamentary commission had its first meeting on Oct. 7. The commission consists of nine lawmakers from the ruling the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), four from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), one from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and one from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), who will listen to prominent figures and prepare a report to be submitted to Parliament.