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US Vice President Mike Pens said today that the United States will impose sanctions on Turkey if US pastor Andrew Brunson is not released, a Turkish court ruled that the pastor be under house arrest. Brunson was in prison in Turkey in October 2016.
Brunson is an innocent man, there is no credible evidence against him, said today the Vice President Pens.
Turkish authorities accuse the pastor of acting in favor of the network of Islamic preachers Fethullah Gülen – FETO, and in favor of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Ankara sees both organizations as terrorists
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for the release of Brunsons, and last week he wrote on Twitter that his detention was "a complete shame".
Ankara reacted strongly to the American threat for sanctions. A spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the US administration would not achieve the expected result by threatening Turkey, according to Reuters
"The United States needs to rethink their approach and take constructive action on its own interests and alliance with Turkey, "said spokesman Ibrahim Kalman.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ankara announced that the first Turkish diplomat, Mevluth Chavushoglu, today spoke to the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
The agency did not release details of the conversation, but before that, his spokesman said in writing that Washington should give up "bad rhetoric" and return to a "constructive dialogue" . Chawusoglu wrote on Twitter that "no one can dictate Turkey" and that his country "will not be threatened by anyone".
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