Turkey slams US ‘sanctions’ over pastor
Detainee accused of terror crimes by govt
ANKARA: Turkey and the US failed to resolve the diplomatic standoff over a detained pastor yesterday, with Ankara’s foreign minister warning that sanctions and threats would not work.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said ahead of talks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu that Washington was “very serious” in demanding the release of Andrew Brunson.
“The Turks were on notice that the clock had run and it was time for Pastor Brunson to be returned and I hope they’ll see this for what it is, a demonstration that we’re very serious,” Mr Pompeo said in Singapore.
“Brunson needs to come home. As do all the Americans being held by the Turkish government,” he added. “They’ve been holding these folks for a long time. These are innocent people.”
Mr Brunson, who led a Protestant church in the Aegean city of Izmir, was moved to house arrest last week following nearly two years in jail on charges of espionage and supporting terror groups.
The US has hit two top Turkish officials with sanctions over his detention, prompting Ankara to threaten reciprocal measures.
“We have said from the start that the other side’s threatening language and sanctions will not get any result. We repeated this today,” Mr Cavusoglu said in televised remarks from Singapore where he and Mr Pompeo are attending a regional security summit.
Mr Brunson, whose trial began in the spring, faces up to 35 years in jail if convicted.
Two Turkish employees of US consulates in Turkey are also currently in jail on terror charges and another is under house arrest, while several Americans have been caught up in the crackdown that followed a failed 2016 coup.
The State Department has said it continues to favour a diplomatic approach, but spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters earlier this week that the pastor’s detention “has gone on for too long”.
Yesterday Ms Nauert said Pompeo and Mr Cavusoglu had a “constructive conversation” and “agreed to continue to try to resolve the issues between our two countries”.
Mr Cavusoglu also said the talks were “extremely constructive” but warned in comments to Turkish media that all the issues would not be solved “after one meeting”.
Mr Pompeo and Mr Cavusoglu spoke by phone on Wednesday as the US announced sanctions on Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu. The US claims both men played a major role in the arrest and detention of the pastor.
His detention has fuelled a bitter diplomatic feud between Turkey and the US, whose relations have already deteriorated in recent months over the Syria conflict.
Mr Brunson was initially detained in October 2016 during Turkey’s crackdown following an attempted putsch.
He stands accused of carrying out activities on behalf of two organisations Turkey considers terror groups.