ANKARA – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned the US that sanctionswould not force Ankara to “step back” after Donald Trump threatened topunish Turkey if a US pastor was not freed, in comments published Sunday.
“You cannot make Turkey take a step back with sanctions,” Erdogan said inhis first comments since relations soured after Trump threatened themeasures on Thursday if Pastor Andrew Brunson was not released.
“The US should not forget that it could lose a strong and sincere partnerlike Turkey if it does not change its attitude,” he was quoted as saying byHurriyet daily.
Relations between the NATO allies have worsened over the jailing ofBrunson, who ran a Protestant church in the Aegean city of Izmir.
He was held in a Turkish jail for almost two years on terror charges butwas placed under house arrest on Wednesday.
Trump on Thursday hit back at the move, calling for his immediate releaseand warning that the US would impose “large sanctions on Turkey for theirlong time detainment” of Brunson.
Ties had already been strained over multiple issues including Washington’ssupport of a Syrian Kurdish militia which Turkey views as a terrorist groupand the failure to extradite the Pennsylvania-based Muslim preacherFethullah Gulen.——————————
*No ‘bargaining chip’ *——————————
Ankara accuses Gulen of ordering the 2016 failed overthrow of Erdogan, aclaim he strongly denies.
The Washington Post on Friday reported a deal between Ankara and Washingtonwas made to secure the release of a Turkish woman imprisoned in Israel inexchange for the freedom of Brunson.
Ebru Ozkan, 27, had been held for over a month by Israel on charges ofpassing hundreds of dollars to a “terrorist” group but returned to Turkeyon July 16.
The newspaper said the agreement was “personally sealed” by Trump but fellapart when Brunson was transferred to house arrest.
Erdogan addressed the claims, stressing that Turkey had “never made PastorBrunson a bargaining chip.”
However, he said Ankara had asked for Washington’s help in securing Ozkan’sreturn home.
“But we didn’t say: ‘In return for this, we will give you Brunson’. Nothinglike this was discussed,” Erdogan insisted in remarks to journalists duringa visit to South Africa.
Brunson risks up to 35 years in jail if found guilty of charges of carryingout activities on behalf of two groups deemed by Turkey to be terrororganisations — the Gulen movement and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Brunson rejects the accusations while US officials have repeatedly insistedthe pastor is innocent.
Erdogan in September suggested Turkey could free Brunson if the US handedover Gulen — an offer brushed off by Washington. – APP/AFP