Pastor arrested in Turkey: Erdogan warns Trump against sanctions

The tone rises between the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his American counterpart Donald Trump about the American pastor Andrew Brunson, detained in Turkey. "You can not force Turkey to back down with sanctions" declared the Turkish head of state, quoted Sunday, July 29, by the daily Hurriyet .

"The United States United should not forget that they could lose a strong and sincere partner like Turkey if they do not change their attitude " Recep Tayyip Erdogan continued. "Changing attitude is Trump's problem, not mine" he added, comparing American threats to a "19459006" "psychological warfare" .

Read : Trump calls on Turkey to release "immediately" Pastor Brunson

"A formidable Christian and father"

The arrest of Pastor Andrew Brunson, leader of a Protestant Church in Izmir, is one of many cases that plague relations between Ankara and Washington. The threat of sanctions, Thursday, July 26, has raised the tension a notch. The Turkish presidency warned Washington that "the desired result would not be achieved by threatening Turkey" .

Donald Trump announced, on the same day, "significant sanctions " against Turkey if she did not liberate " immediately " Pastor Andrew Brunson, described by him as " a formidable Christian and father of a family ". The president had already denounced a "total shame" when a Turkish court decided to keep him in custody during his trial, which had been going on since the spring.

Pastor Andrew Brunson, imprisoned since October 2016 in Turkey, has been under house arrest since the decision of a Turkish court on Wednesday, July 25.

PKK and Gülen's espionage charges

The Turkish authorities accuse him of terrorism and for espionage on behalf of two organizations – the network of preacher Fethullah Gülen who lives in the United States and the Kurdish separatists of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The pastor, who rejects these charges, faces up to 35 years in prison.

Read: The United States refuses to link Pastor Brunson's release to Gülen's extradition

The American Daily The Washington Post reported the failure of an agreement between Ankara and Washington for the release of a Turkish arrested in Israel in exchange for that of Andrew Brunson. Ebru Ozkan, 27, returned to Turkey on July 16, after more than a month in detention in Israel, on charges of helping a "terrorist" organization .

This affair has tended relations between Washington and Ankara. The Trump administration has made the cause of religious freedom a priority, and erected the pastor as a symbol of religious persecution in the world.

The United States considered in June to block the delivery of military aircraft F -35 if Turkey confirmed the acquisition of S-400 antiaircraft missiles in Russia. For its part, Recept Tayyip Erdogan announces that he will contest such a decision, if it were taken, by asking for international arbitration.

François d'Alançon (with AFP)