Turkey threatens tit for tat sanctions on US

Mevlut Cavusoglu, a key figure of the Erdogan government, said the American move "will not go unanswered."

Ari Khalidi 2018/08/01 20:49

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ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – US sanctions which hit two Turkish ministers on Wednesday over the continued detention of an American pastor will backfire and result in a tit-for-tat reaction from Ankara, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

“We strongly condemn the sanctions decision on our country by the US Treasury Department,” a statement available on the Turkish language version of the ministry’s website read.

Earlier in the day, President Donald Trump’s White House sanctioned Turkish Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gul and Minister of Interior Suleyman Soylu for their role in the case of the American pastor Andrew Brunson who Ankara has held in detention since late 2016.

“The decision targeting our two ministers cannot be explained regarding the seriousness of states, law, or justice. This step will, no doubt, gravely harm our constructive efforts to solve the problems between the two countries,” it added.

Turkish security members take American pastor Andrew Brunson from prison to his home where he will have to spend the rest of his detention until a judicial ruling, in Izmir, Turkey, July 25, 2018. (Photo: Reuters)

Ankara also accused Washington of “disrespectfully interfering” in Turkey’s judicial affairs.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, a key figure in the government of empowered President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said the US move “will not go unanswered,” without further specifying.

Prosecutors have asked for up to 35 years of imprisonment for Brunson over alleged membership in the movement of the US-exiled Turkish-Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen’s movement and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an armed group fighting the Turkish state to attain Kurdish rights.

“We call upon the US administration to reverse this wrong decision. Otherwise, this attitude of aggression will in no time result in a retaliatory response,” the ministry said.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany