Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned the US that sanctions would not force Ankara to “step back” in comments published yesterday, after US President Donald Trump threatened to punish Turkey if a US pastor was not freed,
“You cannot make Turkey take a step back with sanctions,” Erdogan said in his first comments since relations soured after Trump on Thursday threatened the measures if Ankara did not release Pastor Andrew Brunson.
“The US should not forget that it could lose a strong and sincere partner like Turkey if it does not change its attitude,” he was quoted as saying by Hurriyet daily.
Relations between the NATO allies have worsened over the jailing of Brunson, who ran a Protestant church in Izmir. He was held in jail for almost two years on terror charges, but was placed under house arrest on Wednesday.
Trump hit back at the move, calling for his immediate release and warning that the US would impose “large sanctions on Turkey for their long time detainment” of Brunson.
Ties had already been strained over multiple issues including Washington’s support of a Syrian Kurdish militia which Turkey views as a terrorist group and the failure to extradite the Pennsylvania-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen. Ankara accuses Gulen of ordering the 2016 failed overthrow of Erdogan, a claim he denies.
The Washington Post on Friday reported a deal between Ankara and Washington was made to secure the release of a Turkish woman imprisoned in Israel in exchange for Brunson.
Ebru Ozkan, 27, had been held for over a month by Israel on charges of passing hundreds of dollars to a “terrorist” group, but returned to Turkey on July 16.
The newspaper said the agreement was “personally sealed” by Trump, but fell apart when Brunson was transferred to house arrest.
Erdogan said Turkey had “never made Pastor Brunson a bargaining chip,” but Ankara had asked for Washington’s help in securing Ozkan’s return home.
“But we didn’t say: ‘In return for this, we will give you Brunson.’ Nothing like this was discussed,” Erdogan told journalists during a visit to South Africa, where he visited from Wednesday to Friday.
Brunson risks up to 35 years in jail if found guilty of charges of carrying out activities on behalf of two groups deemed by Turkey to be terror organizations — the Gulen movement and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party. He has rejected the accusations.
In other developments, Erdogan said Turkey is seeking to hold a summit in Istanbul with France, Germany and Russia on Sept. 7.
“We will discuss what we can do in the region together,” the Hurriyet quoted Erdogan as saying during his South African trip.
He gave no further details on the issues on the agenda, but said Turkey would continue dialogue with Russia, “outside of this foursome.”
Erdogan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the visit on the sidelines of the Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa summit of leading emerging economies in Johannesburg.
There has been no confirmation from Moscow, Paris or Berlin.
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
RSS