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President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would maintain its position after US President Donald Trump threatened to punish Ankara if it did not release an American pastor, reported Sunday Haberturk, an American broadcaster. The line in the dispute over Pastor Andrew Brunson, Erdogan was quoted by TRT Haber and other media.
Trump threatened Thursday to impose "heavy penalties" on Turkey unless he released Brunson, who worked in Turkey for more than 20 years and was accused of helping the group according to Ankara behind a military failure in 2016.
The pastor, who denied the charges, is currently under house arrest and risks up to 35 years in prison if he is found guilty.
"We will not back down on sanctions," said Erdogan. "They should not forget that they will lose a sincere partner."
Brunson, who hails from North Carolina, was transferred to house arrest last week after 21 months in a Turkish jail.
US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo discussed Saturday the pastor's status with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, said the State Department.
The detention of Brunson has dug a gap between Washington and Ankara. on the Syrian war and Turkey's plan to buy missile defenses from Russia.
It is unclear what the nature of the sanctions threatened by Trump would be, but Washington was already working on Turkey-related bills. ]
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