ISTANBUL – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey’s partnership withthe United States may be in jeopardy as ties strain, warning Ankara couldstart looking for new allies, in an op-ed published in the New York Timeson Saturday.
Relations between the two NATO allies have sunk to their lowest point indecades over a number of issues including the detention of US pastor AndrewBrunson on terror-related charges, prompting the Turkish lira to hit recordlows against the dollar.
The embattled lira tumbled 16 per cent against the dollar on Friday, withUS President Donald Trump saying he had doubled steel and aluminium tariffson Turkey in comments that contributed to the currency´s further slide.
In the New York Times, Erdogan warned Washington not to risk relations withAnkara, saying otherwise his country would look for “new friends andallies”.
“Unless the United States starts respecting Turkey’s sovereignty and provesthat it understands the dangers that our nation faces, our partnershipcould be in jeopardy,” he wrote.
“Before it is too late, Washington must give up the misguided notion thatour relationship can be asymmetrical and come to terms with the fact thatTurkey has alternatives,” he said.
“Failure to reverse this trend of unilateralism and disrespect will requireus to start looking for new friends and allies.”
In a tweet, Trump announced the doubling of the tariffs — in new punitiveactions against Turkey, saying: “Our relations with Turkey are not good atthis time!”
The White House said the new sanctions would take effect from August 13.
Erdogan downplayed the currency crisis in a speech on Friday, advisingTurks not to be worried over exchange rate fluctuations.
He also said Turkey had alternatives “from Iran, to Russia, to China andsome European countries”. – APP/AFP