The recent decision by the US to impose sanctions on two of Turkey’s senior ministers in a tit-for-a-tat response to the detention of an American pastor who has been held under trial by Ankara on espionage and terror-related charges had drawn condemnation from the Turkish foreign ministry.
The foreign ministry in Turkey called on the US to reconsider and reverse its “wrong decision” on Thursday after Washington announced sanctions on two of its ministers, namely Abdulhamit Gul, the minister of justice, and Suleyman Soylu, the minister of interior.
With the announcement, the White House blocked assets and properties in the name of Gul and Soylu by accusing them of playing crucial and leading roles in the arrest and detention of Andrew Brunson.
As per the claim by Ankara, Brunson is accused of having ties to US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, who according to it was behind a 2016 failed coup attempt, and the banned Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK).
Turkey’s foreign ministry said in a written statement on Thursday: “The decision, which disrespectfully intervenes in our judicial system, will seriously damage the constructive efforts made in order to resolve problems between the two countries.”
It further said that the US’ “aggressive attitude serves no purpose,” and took a pledge that it would respond in equal measure.
Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkey’s foreign minister, wrote on Twitter: “US attempts to impose sanctions on our two ministers will not go unanswered.”
Later on, Gul was quoted by the Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah as saying that he has got no property or money outside Turkey, therefore futile attempts by the US Treasury to “block” his belongings and assets under US jurisdiction would have practically no effect on him.
Saying that the only transaction he had got to do with the US was the extradition of Gulen, Soylu shrugged off Washington’s move.
As on Gulen’s part, he has lived in self-imposed exile in the US since 1999 and has denied any role in the coup attempt of 2016.
Brunson is at the center of one of the most bitter diplomatic spats between the NATO allied in years that have all signs of escalating further. Brunson had led a Protestant church in the Aegean city of Izmir.
The Christian right, which forms an important component of US President Donald Trump’s voters’ base, has been putting up pressure on the administration on the Brunson case.
The Turkish government claims repeatedly that the case is up for hearing in the courts of its land and it has no control over it to intervene.
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