Turkey threatens sanctions against US officials
August 4, 2018
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday announced tit-for-tat sanctions targeting US officials after Washington imposed financial penalties against Turkey's interior and justice minister earlier this week.
"Today I will give our friends instructions to freeze the assets in Turkey of the American justice and interior ministers, if they have any (such assets)," said Erdogan in a televised speech.
It is unclear which officials will be targeted by the sanctions since the US has different offices for those functions in Turkey. Jeff Session is US attorney general, while Kirstjen Nielsen serves as homeland secretary and Ryan Zinke as interior secretary.
The US Treasury on Wednesday imposed sanctions against Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu for their role in the detention of 50-year-old Andrew Brunson, an evangelical pastor.
'Needs to come home'
Turkish authorities have charged Brunson with "committing crimes on behalf of terror groups without being a member" and espionage.
Prosecutors have accused him of maintaining links with Fethullah Gulen, a self-exiled cleric based in the US who was wanted by Turkey for allegedly plotting a failed coup in 2016.
Read more: US-Turkey relations 'entering a risky period'
On Friday, State Secretary Michael Pompeo said he discussed Brunson's case with his Turkish counterpart.
"Brunson needs to come home. As do all the Americans being held by the Turkish government," Pompeo told reporters. "They've been holding these folks for a long time. These are innocent people."
'Lose-lose games'
Erdogan on Saturday suggested he did not want deteriorating relations with its military ally to fallout further.
"We don't want to be a party to lose-lose games," Erdogan said. "Moving political and judicial disputes into an economic dimension will be harmful for both sides."
While largely seen as symbolic by analysts, Washington's sanctions through Turkey's currency into a downfall, reaching 5 to a dollar on Friday for the first time in its modern history.
ls/rc (AFP, AP)