Threats and sanctions 'won't resolve' US-Turkey pastor row
August 3, 2018
The United States and Turkey have agreed to deal with the row over detained US pastor Andrew Brunson diplomatically. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has warned Turkey of serious consequences if the pastor is not released.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/F. Aktas
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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, held talks in Singapore on Friday on the sidelines of a regional summit and agreed to continue to try to resolve bilateral issues between the two countries.
Washington imposed sanctions on two of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ministers over the trial of Andrew Brunson, a US pastor whom Turkish authorities accuse of espionage and backing terror groups. Washington has maintained that there is no credible evidence to support the charges.
The 50-year-old Brunson was arrested in December 2016, following a failed military coup against Erdogan, on charges of "committing crimes on behalf of terror groups without being a member" and espionage. Now subject to house arrest, he faces a prison sentence of up to 35 years if he is convicted on both counts at the end of his ongoing trial.
The evangelical pastor, who is originally from North Carolina, has lived in Turkey for 23 years and ran the Izmir Resurrection Church.
Brunson is charged with supporting a group Turkey blames for orchestrating an attempted coup in 2016Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AP Photo/E. Tazegul
Hard talk
Pompeo told reporters travelling with him to Singapore the US had put Turkey on notice "that the clock had run and it was time for Pastor Brunson to be returned."
"I hope they'll see this for what it is, a demonstration that we're very serious," Pompeo said of the sanctions. "We consider this one of the many issues that we have with the Turks."
"Brunson needs to come home. As do all the Americans being held by the Turkish government. Pretty straightforward. They've been holding these folks for a long time. These are innocent people," he added.
But Cavusoglu insisted that US threats and sanctions would not be effective.
"We have said from the start that the other side's threatening language and sanctions will not get any result. We repeated this today," Cavusoglu told reporters in Singapore after his meeting with Pompeo.
Turkish-US relations have soured despite President Donald Trump's hosting of his "friend" President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Washington in May. DW traces what led to the allies having their worst spat in five decades.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AP Photo/E. Tazegul
Jovial gestures belie multiple disputes
May 16, 2017: Trump welcomes Erdogan to Washington, saying both presidents have a "great relationship" and would make it "even better." Erdogan congratulates Trump on his "legendary" 2016 election win but complains bitterly about US arming of the Kurdish YPG militia, claiming that its inclusion in the US-led campaign against IS in in war-torn Syria provides a cover for Kurdish separatism.
Image: Reuters/K.Lamarque
Melee becomes further irritant
May 17: As Erdogan ends his visit, Voice of America video footage emerges showing his guards assaulting Kurdish protesters outside the Turkish ambassador's residence in Washington. A month later, US authorities issue arrest warrants for 12 members of Erdogan's security detail, who had long returned to Turkey. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the assaults breached "legitimate" free speech.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/Voice of America
First anniversary of coup attempt
July 15, 2017: Turkey marks the first anniversary of the failed coup attempt. In a post-coup bid crackdown 50,000 people were arrested, accused of links to the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, an Erdogan ally-turned-rival. Tens of thousands more face job suspensions. The refusal of the US to extradite Gulen has been a major sore spot in relations.
Image: picture-alliance/abaca/M. Cetinmuhurdar
Turkey 'uneasy' about US arming of Kurdish militia
August 23: US Defense Secretary James Mattis visits Ankara as the Pentagon stresses US commitment to bilateral relations and "honest dialogue." Mattis had just visited Iraq to assess the anti-IS campaign. Erdogan tells Turkish media that Turkey will thwart any attempt by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) to establish a "terror corridor" in northern Syria through to the Mediterranean.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/K. Ozer
Turkey arrests US consulate employee
October 5: Turkish authorities arrest Metin Topuz, a Turkish national employed at the US consulate in Istanbul. He is formally charged with espionage and collaboration in the 2016 coup attempt. The US embassy in Ankara subsequently says it is "deeply disturbed" by the arrest. It's reportedly the second since March, when a Turkish US consulate employee was arrested in Adana.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/N. Elden
US and Turkey suspend their respective visa services
October 8-9: The United States suspends its issuance of non-immigrant visa applications to Turkish nationals, saying it has to "reassess" Turkish readiness to respect security at US diplomatic missions. Turkey suspends its visa services for US nationals and summons another staffer at the US consulate in Istanbul.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa,AP
Attempts to make amends
November 6: The US Embassy in Ankara announces that it is reinstating its visa program for Turkish tourists on a "limited" basis after receiving assurances from the government that no employees will be detained "for carrying out official duties." Shortly thereafter, Turkey confirms that it is also resuming visa services for US citizens one day before Prime Minister Yildirim visits Washington.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/B. Ozbilici
At odds over Russian missiles
December through August, 2018: In December, Turkey announced it would buy the Russian S-400 missile system, which is incompatable with NATO systems. The US Congress has included a provision in a defense bill that would cut Turkey out of the F-35 fighter jet program if it moves forward with the S-400 deal.
Image: Getty Images/S. Barbour
Release the pastor ... or else
August 1, 2018: The US sanctions Turkey's interior and justice ministers over the continued detention of pastor Andrew Brunson. Brunson had been moved from prison to house arrest in late July, but that fell short of US demands for his immediate release and end to terror and espionage charges. Brunson was arrested almost two years ago.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AP Photo/E. Tazegul
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US, Turkey at odds
On Wednesday, the White House announced it was imposing sanctions on Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu for their role in Brunson's detention.
"We believe he [Brunson] is a victim of unfair and unjust attention by the government of Turkey," US Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.
President Erdogan has said that he will not be swayed by sanctions.
However, he has indicated that he would swap Brunson for Fethullah Gulen, an exiled Muslim cleric accused of plotting the 2016 coup against Erdogan.
Ilhan Uzgel, an Ankara-based political scientist, says that Turkey needs to take the Brunson row seriously.
"The US is sending a message to Turkey that it is losing confidence in President Erdogan's government. The diplomatic row escalated because of Turkey's miscalculation. Ankara wanted to use Brunson as a bargaining chip with Washington, but the plan backfired," Uzgel told DW.
"But on the other hand, the US and Turkey are engaged in a dialogue. These discussions must continue," Uzgel added.
The US uses bases in Turkey for its military operations across the Middle East, but the two countries have sparred over numerous issues, including Washington's support for Kurdish fighters in Syria, whom Ankara sees as a threat to its political stability.