International Turkey's Lonely Road to Isolation: The World Looks on as Erdogan Jockeys for a Third Decade in Power

[Arkain2K]

Trump doubling tariffs in retaliation for jailed American pastor send Turkey's economy plunging
By Hollie McKay | August 13, 2018

​

Fierce tensions between the United States and Turkey have continued to escalate over the weekend – resounding through the global economy and inseminating volatility throughout the Middle East markets – in response to Trump’s tough crackdown on the once esteemed NATO ally.

“I have just authorized a doubling of Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum with respect to Turkey as their currency, the Turkish Lira, slides rapidly downward against our very strong Dollar! Aluminum will now be 20% and Steel 50%,” Trump tweeted Friday. “Our relations with Turkey are not good at this time!”

The Turkish lira, tumbled from 4.7 to the dollar to a depleted 6.4 to the dollar, for the first time in history breaking the 6 mark. The lira is reported to have more than 30 percent of its value throughout August, with the biggest hit – a fall of 14 percent – happening Friday. The yield on Turkish decade-long bonds has risen to over 20 percent and inflation is now running at over 15 percent compared to 11 percent one year ago, according to TradingEconomics.

At the crux of the diplomatic dispute is Turkey’s refusal to release American Pastor Andrew Brunson, who has been detained in Turkey for 21 months on “terrorism” charges – suspected of having ties to the outlawed Gulenist movement – along with alleged espionage accusations. U.S. State Department representatives have called the file against him as entirely uncreditable.

​

Brunson, who had been living in Turkey for more than 20 years doing missionary work and ran a small church in the coastal city of Izmir, is largely thought to be a mere political prisoner and bargaining tool for the Turkish government.

The Trump administration had earlier slapped sanctions on two top Turkish government officials for their fundamental role in Brunson’s ongoing detainment, and Congress is pushing for even more sanctions, such as blocking a delivery of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and halting funding from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to the beleaguered country that once boasted a robust economy, unique to the Middle East.

For a time, it seemed the Trump team had a deal in the works to avoid such tensions coming to a head, with various concessions and incentives being given to Ankara, including the dropping of charges on Turkish guards accused of beating anti-Erdogan protesters in Washington. Yet such deal talks are said to have fallen apart in the past month following the NATO summit in Brussels.

Nonetheless, Erdogan has showed no sign of conceding to Trump’s iron-fist even as his entire economy is on the brink of crashing. In a speech Friday he insisted his country “will not lose the economic war,” and called on Turks to sell their gold and dollars and buy lira to boost the flagging currency – of which analysts have since called “laughable.”

While strains between the two military allies appear to have hit a high point, tensions have been brewing for some years in the rocky relationship.

U.S. officials based in Ankara told Fox News in April that diplomatic relations were at their lowest point, fueled in large part by the detainment of Brunson and several other dual U.S citizens – including U.S. Embassy employees – but also as a result of Turkey entering into a deal last September with NATO nemesis Russia to purchase their S-400 surface-to-air-missile system which would thus require Russian military technicians operating in the arena.

Ankara also announced that Erdogan had personally held a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday to address their economic links in the midst of the monetary turbulence.

A central point of contention of Erdogan personally is the U.S.’ refusal to extradite Pennsylvania-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who the president blames for orchestrating the failed 2016 coup attempt to overthrow his government. U.S. officials told Fox News that the two countries do have an extradition treaty and that the matter has been looked into by the Department of Justice, yet the Turks have not been able to provide irrefutable evidence that Gulen was indeed behind the botched operation.

Following the rise of ISIS in the region around 2014, hostilities also seethed as some Americans accused Turkey of allowing a porous border to provide safe haven to the Islamic insurgency and fertile ground to finance their terrorism. Meanwhile, the Turks assailed the U.S. for arming Syria’s main Kurdish militia, initially the YPJ was folded into what was called the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which they consider to be under the same umbrella as the Turkey-based outlawed Kurdish separatist group, the PKK.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/0...n-retaliation-for-jailed-american-pastor.html

 

[Arkain2K]

Trump Blocks Fighter Jet Transfer Amid Deepening U.S.-Turkey Rift
The decision is a blow to Ankara but could also complicate matters for Washington.
BY LARA SELIGMAN | AUGUST 13, 2018

​

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed into law a defense policy bill that will hold up the transfer to Turkey of 100 F-35 fighter jets, deepening a rift between the two countries over the ongoing imprisonment of an American pastor in Turkey.

The move amounts to a sharp blow to Ankara, which is already reeling from Trump’s decision last week to double down on tariffs on Turkish aluminum and steel. Turkey planned to take possession of the jets over the next decade, which would make it the third-largest operator of F-35s in the world.

But its cancellation will also complicate matters for the United States. Several key components of the jet are manufactured by Turkish companies, and the U.S. Defense Department estimates it will take two years to find and qualify new suppliers to replace any Turkish firms that are kicked out of the program. Meanwhile, the main European hub for the F-35’s engine repair and overhaul is in Eskisehir, in northwestern Turkey.

Turkey jailed the American pastor, Andrew Brunson, almost two years ago in a widespread crackdown that followed a military coup attempt. Ankara maintains that Brunson, who has lived in Turkey for more than 20 years, had ties to the plotters.

For a time, it seemed the Trump administration would reach a deal to defuse tensions and secure Brunson’s release. But the talks are said to have fallen apart in the past month.

Now Trump, who has been personally engaged in cultivating the U.S.-Turkey relationship, feels betrayed and wants retribution, analysts said.

“Trump … did want to make things nice with Turkey, and he by all accounts invested personally in the relationship,” said Aaron Stein, an expert on Turkey with the Atlantic Council. “Now that he feels like the Turks have reneged on an agreement that they reached with him, the U.S. position is now an ultimatum.”

The Turkish Embassy in Washington did not respond to questions about the decision. But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, writing in the New York Times over the weekend, warned that Trump’s punitive measures against Turkey would ultimately backfire on the United States.

“At a time when evil continues to lurk around the world, unilateral actions against Turkey by the United States, our ally of decades, will only serve to undermine American interests and security,” Erdogan wrote in an opinion piece.

“Failure to reverse this trend of unilateralism and disrespect will require us to start looking for new friends and allies.”

So far, the spat has mainly harmed Ankara. Trump’s tariff increases on aluminum and steel, which he announced via Twitter and which effectively priced Turkey out of the U.S. market, sent Turkish lira tumbling to a new low on Friday.

“I hate [that] it came to this point, but President @realDonaldTrump really had no other choice,” Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham wrote in a Friday tweet.

But senior U.S. officials, including Defense Secretary James Mattis, have warned against removing Turkey from the F-35 program.

Ankara is a critical geopolitical partner and cornerstone of the NATO alliance, and the Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey is a key launching pad for operations in the Middle East, particularly the campaign against the Islamic State. It is also home to a U.S. stockpile of B61 nuclear bombs, a linchpin of nuclear deterrence in Europe. Ankara is also a crucial partner in rebuilding Syria as the West, Russia, and Iran jockey for power in the war-torn nation.

The sale of the F-35 to Turkey is particularly controversial, because Ankara also plans to purchase the sophisticated Russian-built S-400 missile system. Officials say integration of the S-400 with the F-35 and NATO air defenses could compromise closely guarded U.S. and allied military secrets.

“Unfortunately, we now have the egos of both leaders engaged, and that makes it difficult to finesse the situation,” said Loren Thompson, an analyst with the Lexington Institute, a think tank that receives funding from Lockheed Martin, among other defense contractors.

The language Trump signed into law on Monday, included in a $717 billion bill that sets defense policy for the year, is watered down from its original form and mostly symbolic regarding Turkey. But it sets the stage for congressional appropriators to take more decisive action.

The legislation blocks the transfer of F-35s to Turkey until the Pentagon submits an impact assessment, particularly regarding U.S. military operations from Incirlik Air Base but also focusing on overall U.S.-Turkish relations. Lawmakers also want the Pentagon to assess the ramifications of Ankara’s planned purchase of the S-400 system.

A provision in a draft version of the defense appropriations bill, which is expected to move forward in the next few weeks, would expressly prohibit funding for the transfer.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/08/1...t-transfer-amid-deepening-us-turkey-rift-f35/

 

[salamander]

Trump is reminding Erodogan who the actual superpower is.

Squirm, bitch squirm: Your ass ain't Kemal.

 

[Arkain2K]

No Stealth For You!: Trump Signs Defense Bill That Blocks Transfer Of F-35s To Turkey
By TYLER ROGOWAY | AUG 13, 2018

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The escalating F-35 saga between Ankara and Washington D.C., which you can read about here, hit a crescendo today when President Donald Trump signed the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) at Fort Drum in upstate New York. Language in the bill specifically stops the delivery of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to Turkey—a NATO ally and one of the first international partners on the program dating back two decades. Turkey has plans to buy 100 of the stealthy fighters, 30 of which are already on order, and has invested $1.2B into the program so far.

The language in the law requires a written review within 90 days on Turkish-U.S. relations, including the use of Incirlik Air Base by American forces, as well as a risk assessment associated with delivering F-35s to Turkey as well as other platforms and weapons systems. It reads in part:

Assessment of impacts on other United States weapon systems and platforms operated jointly with the Republic of Turkey" for the following​

(ii) the Patriot surface-to-air missile system;
(iii) the CH–47 Chinook heavy lift helicopter;
(iv) the AH–64 Attack helicopter;
(v) the H–60 Black Hawk utility helicopter; and
(vi) the F–16 Fighting Falcon aircraft.​

http://amp.timeinc.net/thedrive/the...blocks-transfer-of-f-35s-to-turkey?source=dam

 

[Arkain2K]

U.S. official warns of more actions against Turkey if pastor not freed
By Steve Holland | August 14, 2018​

U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson reacts as he arrives at his home after being released from the prison in Izmir, Turkey July 25, 2018​

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is warning more economic pressures may be in store for Turkey if it refuses to release a jailed American pastor, a White House official said on Tuesday, in a dispute that has further strained relations between the NATO allies.

The tough message emerged a day after White House national security adviser John Bolton met privately with Turkish ambassador Serdar Kilic about the case of evangelical pastor Andrew Brunson. Bolton warned him that the United States would not give any ground, a senior U.S. official said.

The White House official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said “nothing has progressed” thus far on the Brunson case.

“The administration is going to stay extremely firm on this. The president is 100 percent committed to bringing Pastor Brunson home and if we do not see actions in the next few days or a week there could be further actions taken,” the official said.

Further actions would likely take the form of economic sanctions, the official said, who added: “The pressure is going to keep up if we’re not seeing results.”

Relations between Turkey and the United States have been soured by Brunson’s detention, as well as diverging interests on Syria. Trump doubled tariffs on imports of Turkish steel and aluminum last week, contributing to a precipitous fall in the lira.

The United States is also considering a fine against Turkey’s state-owned Halkbank for allegedly helping Iran evade U.S. sanctions. Earlier this month, the United States imposed sanctions on two top officials in President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s cabinet in an attempt to get Turkey to turn over Brunson.

Brunson is accused of backing a coup attempt against Turkish Erdogan two years ago, charges that he has denied. He is being tried on terrorism charges.

Brunson has appealed again to a Turkish court to release him from house arrest and lift his travel ban, his lawyer told Reuters on Tuesday.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...inst-turkey-if-pastor-not-freed-idUSKBN1KZ25M

 

[Arkain2K]

 

[Arkain2K]

Turkey to Boycott US Goods, Erdogan ‘Ready for War’
By Tom Ozimek | August 14, 2018

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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey will boycott electronic products from the United States, retaliating in a dispute with Washington that has contributed to a Turkish currency crisis.

“We will impose a boycott on U.S. electronic products. If they have iPhones, there is Samsung on the other side,” Erdogan said at an assembly of his AK Party members in Ankara on Aug. 14.

Erdogan vowed to substitute foreign imports with domestically produced goods.

“We will produce every product we are importing from abroad with foreign currency here and we will be the ones exporting these products,” he said.

“And we have our own Vestel here,” Erdogan said, referring to the Turkish electronics company, whose shares rose 5 percent.

Turkey ‘Ready for War’

According to the Turkish news service Ahval, Erdogan met with ambassadors on Monday, Aug. 13, and said that Turkey is ready for war.

It was unclear whether Erdogan was referring to a trade war, or whether he was making a statement about military preparedness.

“The secret to successful states is their readiness for war. We are ready with everything we have,” Erdogan said, according to Ahval.

“It is everyone’s observation that the developments in foreign currency exchange have no financial basis and they are an attack on our country,” Erdogan said.

“On the one hand you are a strategic ally and on the other you shoot [the country] in the foot. Is something like this acceptable?” he asked, seemingly in reference to U.S. sanctions and increased tariffs.

US Sanctions and Tariffs

The United States has imposed sanctions on two Turkish ministers over the trial on terrorism charges of an American evangelical pastor in Turkey, and last week Washington raised tariffs on exports of Turkish aluminum and steel.

The Turkish lira hit an all-time low of 7.24 to the dollar on Monday, Aug. 13, driven down by concerns over Erdogan’s calls for the central bank to loosen monetary policy, and by deteriorating ties with the United States.

The lira rallied to 6.53 against the dollar on Tuesday, buoyed perhaps by news of a forthcoming conference call between the Turkish finance minister and about 1,000 investors.

On Thursday, Aug. 16, finance minister Berat Albayrak will seek to reassure investors concerned by Erdogan’s control of the economy and his resistance to interest rate hikes to tackle double-digit inflation.

Calls for Higher Interest Rates

Experts say any impact of the anticipated call with the finance minister is temporary, and markets need more than technical remedies like the central bank’s promise to provide emergency liquidity to banks, or the government’s promise not to seize dollar-denominated bank deposits.

While low interest rates inject money into the economy and can provide stimulus in times of crisis, rampant inflation undercuts these gains.

Raising interest rates is needed to calm markets and stem the lira’s sell-off.

“What you want to see is tight monetary policy, a tight fiscal policy, and a recognition that there might be some short-term economic pain—but without it there’s just no credibility of promises to restabilize things,” said Craig Botham, Emerging Markets Economist at Schroders.

Economists warn the currency crisis could spill over into full-blown economic recession.

“The plunge in the lira, which began in May, now looks certain to push the Turkish economy into recession,” Andrew Kenningham, chief global economist at Capital Economics, told Reuters.

Turkey’s business lobbies have also called for a tighter monetary policy to stabilize the lira, and for a diplomatic solution to the United States-Turkish dispute.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/turke...-president-erdogan-ready-for-war_2623470.html

 

[JohnnySagebrush]

Not often I say this, but props to Trump for this.

 

[Crono7]

This makes me happy. Fuck erdogan.

 

[Arkain2K]

Turkey raises tariffs on US products as row escalates
Laura Pitel in Istanbul | August 15, 2018

Turkey has raised tariffs on American cars, alcohol and cigarettes on Wednesday as a row with Donald Trump continued to escalate.

Fuat Oktay, the country’s vice-president, announced the tit-for-tat measures on Twitter in what he said was retaliation for “deliberate attacks” on the Turkish economy by the US administration.

The measures, published in Turkey’s official gazette, doubled tariffs on a series of imported American goods. They raised tax on US alcohol to 140 per cent, cars to 120 per cent and leaf tobacco to 60 per cent. Tariffs were also doubled on cosmetics, rice and coal.

The lira saw volatile trading after the announcement, initially sliding but later rallying sharply. The lira is 5.2 per cent firmer at TL6.0400 per dollar extending Monday’s recovery, when the country’s central bank moved to shore up Turkey’s financial system. At the beginning of the week, the currency hit a record intraday low of TL7.2149.

Turkey and the US have been locked in a bitter row over the continued detention of Andrew Brunson, an Evangelical pastor from North Carolina who was arrested in Turkey in October 2016.

Mr Trump has repeatedly demanded the release of Mr Brunson, whose fate has the most prominent cause in a wider range of simmering tensions between the two Nato member states. Earlier this month, the US president imposed sanctions on two US ministers in a bid to force Turkey to send him home. Last week he president doubled tariffs on imported Turkish aluminium and steel.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, has responded furiously to the row, which has compounded concerns about his country’s fragile economy in the eyes of international investors and piled pressure on the Turkish lira. The currency has lost more than 40 per cent of its value against the dollar this year.

Mr Erdogan, who has accused the US of waging “economic warfare” on Turkey, has maintained that his nation will not “bow down” to Mr Trump’s demands. On Tuesday he declared that Turkey would boycott American electronics and urged Turkish citizens to stop buying iPhones and turn to Turkish-made goods instead.

https://www.ft.com/content/61603f1e-a04c-11e8-85da-eeb7a9ce36e4

 

[TheTimeIsNotNow]

Letting your countries currency go down the toilet over one largely irrelevant American pastor

Politics

 

[Billy no mates]

Squirm, bitch squirm: Your ass ain't Kemal.

Yep , he's steadily eroded the work of Ataturk that raised Turkey above its neighbours in pursuit of some vapid modern day Ottoman empire fantasy , let him reap what he's sown .

 

[GhostZ06]

Turkey raises tariffs on US products as row escalates
Laura Pitel in Istanbul | August 15, 2018

Turkey has raised tariffs on American cars, alcohol and cigarettes on Wednesday as a row with Donald Trump continued to escalate.

Fuat Oktay, the country’s vice-president, announced the tit-for-tat measures on Twitter in what he said was retaliation for “deliberate attacks” on the Turkish economy by the US administration.

The measures, published in Turkey’s official gazette, doubled tariffs on a series of imported American goods. They raised tax on US alcohol to 140 per cent, cars to 120 per cent and leaf tobacco to 60 per cent. Tariffs were also doubled on cosmetics, rice and coal.

The lira saw volatile trading after the announcement, initially sliding but later rallying sharply. The lira is 5.2 per cent firmer at TL6.0400 per dollar extending Monday’s recovery, when the country’s central bank moved to shore up Turkey’s financial system. At the beginning of the week, the currency hit a record intraday low of TL7.2149.

Turkey and the US have been locked in a bitter row over the continued detention of Andrew Brunson, an Evangelical pastor from North Carolina who was arrested in Turkey in October 2016.

Mr Trump has repeatedly demanded the release of Mr Brunson, whose fate has the most prominent cause in a wider range of simmering tensions between the two Nato member states. Earlier this month, the US president imposed sanctions on two US ministers in a bid to force Turkey to send him home. Last week he president doubled tariffs on imported Turkish aluminium and steel.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, has responded furiously to the row, which has compounded concerns about his country’s fragile economy in the eyes of international investors and piled pressure on the Turkish lira. The currency has lost more than 40 per cent of its value against the dollar this year.

Mr Erdogan, who has accused the US of waging “economic warfare” on Turkey, has maintained that his nation will not “bow down” to Mr Trump’s demands. On Tuesday he declared that Turkey would boycott American electronics and urged Turkish citizens to stop buying iPhones and turn to Turkish-made goods instead.

https://www.ft.com/content/61603f1e-a04c-11e8-85da-eeb7a9ce36e4

lmao good luck... hes in no position to do this, Turdogn isnt gonna win

 

[Oeshon]

Turkey is getting ass fucked right now. Tempted to fly over there and enjoy the weak currency

 

[Arkain2K]

Turkey says ready to discuss issues with U.S. without threats
Reuters Staff | August 15, 2018

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu attends a news conference in Ankara, Turkey, August 14, 2018. ​

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey is ready to discuss its ongoing issues with the United States as long as there are no threats, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday, amid a widening dispute between the NATO allies that has sent the Turkish currency plunging.

Speaking to ambassadors in Ankara, Cavusoglu also said Turkey’s relations with the European Union were on a firmer basis and normalizing once again.

He said he would meet with the European Commission’s deputy head Frans Timmermans to speed up talks on visa liberalization for Turks, while Turkish and Russian working groups would hold talks on visa-free travel to Russia after the Muslim Eid holiday next week.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...issues-with-u-s-without-threats-idUSKBN1L020U

 

[Arkain2K]

lmao good luck... hes in no position to do this. hes Turdogn isnt gonna win

Now is a good time as any to revise the expulsion clause in the NATO charter...

 

[Arkain2K]

U.S. Threatens Further Sanctions Against Turkey Over Detained Pastor
August 17, 2018

The U.S. is threatening further sanctions against Turkey if it does not quickly release American pastor Andrew Brunson, who has been detained by the Turkish government for nearly two years. The diplomatic spat is also taking a toll on Turkey's currency, the lira.

Turkey says Brunson has ties to political groups responsible for the 2016 attempted coup of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Brunson runs an evangelical church in the Turkish city of Izmir. The U.S. says the pastor is "a victim of unfair and unjust detention."

Turkey has accused Brunson of espionage and having ties to the Kurdistan Workers Party and the movement led by cleric Fethullah Gulen. Brunson has denied those charges. If found guilty, he faces up to 35 years in prison.

On Thursday evening, President Trump described Brunson as "our wonderful Christian pastor, who I must now ask to represent our Country as a great patriot hostage"

Earlier on Thursday, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin hinted at more sanctions over Brunson, saying, "We have more that we are planning to do if they don't release him quickly."

The U.S. doubled its tariffs on metal imports from Turkey earlier this month. In retaliation, a Turkish court refused to release Brunson, and the Turkish government raised its tariffs on imports of American cars, alcohol and tobacco.

Turkey has repeatedly criticized the U.S. for not condemning the coup attempt two years ago. Erdogan wrote in an op-ed last week for The New York Times: "The Turkish people expected the United States to unequivocally condemn the attack and express solidarity with Turkey's elected leadership. It did not. The United States reaction was far from satisfactory."

The Turkish government has also complained about what it calls U.S. support for Kurdish rebel groups fighting in northern Syria, and it has condemned the U.S. refusal to extradite the Pennsylvania-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Turkey has accused of masterminding the 2016 coup attempt.

In his op-ed, Erdogan wrote:

"My government has repeatedly shared our concerns with American officials about their decision to train and equip the P.K.K.'s allies in Syria. Unfortunately, our words have fallen on deaf ears, and American weapons ended up being used to target civilians and members of our security forces in Syria, Iraq and Turkey."

The rising tensions have caused the value of the lira to plunge by about a third of its value against the dollar since January. The currency's fall has also sparked fears of an economic crisis in Turkey that could spread globally.

With his relationship with the U.S. on the rocks, Erdogan has worked to strengthen his alliances in Europe and the Middle East. Last week, Erdogan wrote, "Washington must give up the misguided notion that our relationship can be asymmetrical and come to terms with the fact that Turkey has alternatives."

Erdogan has recently held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. And on Sept. 28, Germany will host Erdogan for a state visit.

His efforts have also found some success in the Middle East. This week, Qatar pledged $15 billion in support to Turkey. As The New York Times reports, "The sum is a small fraction of what Turkey would need to shore up its faltering economy or pay its dollar debts, which have become increasing unsustainable after a sharp decline in the Turkish lira."

https://www.npr.org/2018/08/17/6395...sanctions-against-turkey-over-detained-pastor

 

[Arkain2K]

Turkey and US trade new threats in detained pastor row
17 August 2018

Turkey has warned it will retaliate if the US imposes further sanctions over a detained US pastor as the row between the two Nato allies intensifies.

Andrew Brunson has been held in Turkey for nearly two years over alleged links to political groups. On Friday, a court rejected another appeal to free him.

President Donald Trump said the US was not going "to take it sitting down".

Turkey's currency, the lira, has plummeted after the two nations imposed tariffs on one another's goods.

The impact of the new tariffs on imported goods has prompted widespread selling in other emerging markets, sparking fears of a global crisis.

What are the latest developments?

On Friday, Turkish Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan warned that Ankara would not succumb to new threats from Washington.

"We've already responded based on the World Trade Organization rules and will continue to do so," he was quoted as saying by Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency.

Mr Pekcan was speaking a day after US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said: "We have more that we are planning to do if they don't release [Mr Brunson] quickly."

Last week, the US doubled its tariffs on metal imports from Turkey.

Turkey responded by increasing tariffs on imports from the US including cars, alcoholic drinks and leaf tobacco - and the lira recovered slightly.

In a separate development on Friday, Mr Trump said that Turkey had "been a problem for a long time", referring to the charges against Mr Brunson as "phoney".

"They have not acted as a friend. We'll see what happens.

"They should have given him back a long time ago, and Turkey has in my opinion acted very, very badly, so we haven't seen the last of that. We are not going to take it sitting down, they can't take our people so we will see happens."

Why such tension between Nato allies?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused the US of trying to "bring Turkey to its knees".

Ankara accuses Mr Brunson - who operates a tiny evangelical church in Izmir - of having links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party and the Gulenist movement, which Turkey blames for a failed coup two years ago.

Mr Brunson has denied charges of espionage, but faces up to 35 years in jail if found guilty.

The US insists the pastor, a long-time Turkish resident, is "a victim of unfair and unjust detention".

Mr Trump described him as "our wonderful Christian Pastor, who I must now ask to represent our Country as a great patriot hostage".

The influential Protestant evangelical church in the US is a major support base for Mr Trump.

Mr Erdogan is angry that the US has not taken more action against the Gulenist movement and what he said was a failure "to unequivocally condemn" the 2016 coup attempt. The US has refused to extradite Fethullah Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania.

US support for Kurdish rebel groups fighting Islamic State fighters in northern Syria is another major difficulty, given Turkey's battle against a Kurdish insurgency in its own country.

Mr Erdogan earlier wrote in the New York Times that unless the US changed course, Turkey would look for new friends and allies.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Ankara on Tuesday, branding the US sanctions "illegitimate".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-45225796

 

[Arkain2K]

Challenged by US and market crisis, Turkey turns to Europe
By Christopher Torchia, Associated Press | Aug 16, 2018

In this Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017 file photo, a European Union flag is seen in front of Nispetiye Mosque in Istanbul.
​

Beset by a shaky currency and tension with the United States, Turkey is reaching out to Europe to shore up relations with major trading partners despite years of testy rhetoric and a stalled bid for EU membership.

The engagement by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has harshly criticized Germany and other European nations in the past, is part of a diplomatic campaign to capitalize on international unease over U.S. President Donald Trump and American tariff disputes around the world. Also this week, Qatar pledged $15 billion in investments in Turkey and Russia's foreign minister talked about using national currencies instead of the dollar in trade with Turkey.

Even so, many commentators believe the path to Turkey's long-term recovery lies in bold economic steps, such as an interest rate increase to curb inflation after years of debt-fueled growth, as well as a resolution to a bitter rift with the United States over an American pastor on trial in a Turkish court. They wonder to what extent Erdogan, who has intensified his control over Turkey as leader for nearly 16 years, can modify his positions after saying the currency crisis and standoff with Washington is an "economic war."

The dialogue with NATO allies in Europe as well as Russia, seen by many in Washington as a threat to U.S. interests, reflect Turkey's unusual status as a strategic country in a volatile region where world powers have long been deeply involved. Turkey, which has secular traditions and a mostly Muslim population, has generally taken a pragmatic course since the Cold War, staying anchored in Western institutions but also engaging Iran and other regional heavyweights.

In a fresh emphasis on Europe, Erdogan spoke by phone about stability and cooperation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday, and with French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday. In addition, Turkey freed two Greek soldiers who had been held in a Turkish prison for months. And a Turkish court freed Taner Kilic, an Amnesty International representative who was jailed for 14 months, though the terror-related charges against him were not dropped.

"There is a growing reaction in Europe against the Trump administration's restrictive and punitive economic policies," Ibrahim Kalin, a spokesman for the Turkish president, said in remarks that did not address the difficulties in relations between Europe and Turkey. He said Turkey, France and Germany "are on the same page" in opposing the U.S. move to impose tariffs.

Just last year, during a low point, Erdogan referred to what he called the "Nazi practices" of contemporary Germany.

Washington imposed sanctions on two Turkish government ministers and doubled tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum imports over the detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson on espionage and terror-related charges. Turkey retaliated with tariffs on some U.S. imports and said it would boycott U.S. electronic goods.

The EU has likewise been subjected to new tariffs on steel and aluminum by the Trump administration, with the bloc responding in kind, though the sides agree last month to try to roll back the punitive duties.

The EU, Turkey's biggest trading partner, provides billions of euros to the Turkish government to help several million Syrian refugees on its soil and prevent them from reaching Europe. But the relationship is also fraught. Turkey has accused European countries of harboring suspected terrorists, while Europe has longstanding concerns about democracy and the rule of law in Turkey.

Turkey's detention of half a dozen German citizens for what Berlin considers political reasons after a 2016 coup attempt has been a major irritant. Another German citizen was arrested Wednesday for suspected links to Kurdish rebels, German news agency dpa reported.

It would be in Turkey's own interest to come to an agreement with the United States and others on the release of foreign prisoners, said Germany's foreign minister, Heiko Maas. Merkel has also said that, while Turkey's economic stability is vital, it is important that the country's central bank be able to operate independently. Some investors are concerned that Erdogan is increasing influence over the central bank to keep it from raising interest rates, a worry that contributed to the recent plunges in the value of the Turkish lira.

Holger Schmieding, an economist for Berenberg bank, said there are limits to what the EU can do to help Turkey.

"A few extra billion euros for Turkey to cope with the Syrian refugee crisis and some small amounts from other EU funds are feasible," he wrote in an analysis. "But such sums would not make a decisive difference."

Schmieding said a bailout by the International Monetary Fund, seen as unlikely at the moment, could become a "realistic option" if Erdogan improves political ties with the EU and the United States and makes a "U-turn" on economic policies.

The $15 billion pledge from Qatar comes as the small nation on the Arabian Peninsula faces its own geopolitical crisis. For over a year, Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have boycotted Doha in a political dispute. Despite facing initial strains in its own crisis, energy-rich Qatar does have the money to spend to help Ankara.

Despite Turkey overtures to Europe this week, experts are braced for more twists and turns.

Angelos Stangos a commentator in Greece's Kathimerini newspaper, says Greek officials should be cautious because Trump and Erdogan are powerful and unpredictable. More instability in Turkey could hurt Greece's tourism industry and lead to increased refugee flows.

"One cannot predict where and how the tension in their relationship will end," he wrote.

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/challenged-us-market-crisis-turkey-turns-europe-57219610

 

[VivaRevolution]

Everyone in here saying fuck Erdogen, while Trump runs a strategic US ally into Russia and China's arms, with the reason given that Gulen was involved in the coup attempt. The problem is that Erdogen is right, and Gulen works for the CIA.