Donald Trump Challenges Turkey: ‘We Are Not Going to Take It’

Investors, already anxious about Turkey’s economy, were irked by a diplomatic and trade dispute with the United States over the continued detention of an American pastor Andrew Brunson on espionage and terror-related charges.

Ankara stood by Doha after Saudi Arabia and other Arab states severed diplomatic, trade and travel ties with Qatar a year ago, accusing it of financing terrorism, a charge Doha denies.

“They made up this phony charge that he is a spy, and he is not a spy”, Trump told reporters.

The court in the western city of Izmir ruled that Brunson, who faces 35 years in jail if convicted, would remain under house arrest, his lawyer Cem Halavurt told AFP. On Friday, a court rejected another appeal to free him.

A State Department spokesman said Friday that “the USA government is following Pastor Andrew Brunson’s case closely, and we continue to provide all appropriate consular services to Mr. Brunson”. They have not acted as a friend…

The Turkish lira has strengthened more than 3% today, ahead of a presentation by Finance Minister Berat Albayrak to investors, shrugging off U.S. comments ruling out the removal of steel tariffs on Turkey even if it frees a United States pastor. “He’s a very innocent man”, Trump said.

Albayrak spoke Thursday with his German counterpart Olaf Scholz and they agreed to “take steps in order to reinforce economic cooperation”, Albayrak’s office said.

He says the US will pay nothing for his return, because he is innocent and indicated the pressure on Turkey will continue.

Turkey’s battered lira weakened as much as seven per cent against the dollar on Friday, after a U.S. warning that Ankara should expect more economic sanctions unless it hands over detained American evangelical pastor Andrew Brunson.

Turkey has responded by declaring that it will raise tariffs on a number of USA imports, including cars, tobacco and spirits.

At 1256 GMT the currency stood at 6.1050 to the dollar, 5 percent weaker.

Whatever action the United States takes looks likely to cause more pain for Turkish assets.

While Evangelists in the United States consider Trump’s efforts to release Brunson as support for religious freedom, the article argued Trump was trying to use this issue to secure success during the November 7 midterm elections.

Erdogan has called for a boycott of USA electronic goods and Turkish media has given extensive coverage to anti-US protests, including videos circulating on social media showing Turks apparently burning dollar bills and destroying iPhones.

Hopes that China and the United States could ease trade tensions helped Chinese stocks pare losses. He’s going through a trial right now, if you call it a trial.

Turkish prosecutors say Brunson has ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which the Turkish government considers a terrorist group, and that Brunson aided the planners of the failed coup against Erdogan in 2016. Turkey, meanwhile, is frustrated by the refusal of the U.S.to extradite a Pennsylvania-based Muslim cleric accused by Turkish authorities of engineering a 2016 coup attempt. The dispute over Brunson and other frictions between Washington and Ankara have been one reason the Turkish lira has plunged 40 per cent this year.