[ad_1]
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, responding to a threat by US President Donald Trump to slap sanctions on Ankara if it did not free an American pastor, said his country would stand its ground, Haberturk TV reported Sunday.
The friendship between the United States and Turkey is on the line in this dispute, Erdogan said, according to TRT Haber and other media.
"We will not take a step back when faced with sanctions," Erdogan was quoted as saying. "
American pastor Andrew Brunson, who was sent to arrest this week after 21 months of detention in a Turkish prison, has worked in Turkey for more than two decades. He has been accused of supporting the group Ankara says he has been a failed military coup in 2016, and of supporting the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
The pastor, who has denied the charges, faces up to 35 years in jail if found guilty.
Diplomats have been working to settle the dispute, and on Saturday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed the status of the pastor with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, the State Department said.
Also Sunday , Haberturk TV quoted Erdogan as saying that Turkey would resort to international arbitration if the United States blocked the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Ankara.
Erdogan also said Turkey had asked for help in Turkey citizen Ebru Ozkan, detained in Israel, Haberturk reported.
Source link
