| US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan gesture as they talk at the start of the NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium earlier this month |
Turkey and the United States can save their relationship, President Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman said on Saturday after President Donald Trump threatened to slap sanctions on Ankara in a deepening of tensions between the NATO partners.
The two countries are at odds over a number of issues including Washington’s policy in Syria, Ankara’s quest for the extradition of a Muslim cleric blamed for failed coup in 2016 and Washington’s concerns about US citizens and embassy staff detained in Turkey.
“The relationship can be saved and improved provided that the US administration takes Turkey’s security concerns seriously,” Ibrahim Kalin wrote in a column in pro-government Daily Sabah newspaper.
Trump directly warned Turkey this week of possible sanctions if it did not free Andrew Brunson, a US Christian pastor detained in Turkey who Washington has described as a hostage.
Brunson was transferred to house arrest this week after being kept in a Turkish prison for more than 20 months during his trial on terrorism charges continued.
The Trump administration escalated a campaign to free Brunson after the court decision, which had been seen by many as a step that could help reduce tension between the NATO allies.
“The United States will impose large sanctions on Turkey for their long-time detainment of Pastor Andrew Brunson, a great Christian, family man and wonderful human being,” Trump wrote in a tweet.
“President Trump may have good intentions for relations with President Erdogan and Turkey. This will certainly be reciprocated when the relationship is based on mutual respect and shared interest,” Kalin said.
Threats against Turkey will not work, Kalin wrote, adding that they would only harm the relationship between Ankara and Washington.
Brunson has become the most public and recent focus of US anger with Turkey, once one of its closest Middle East allies, but trust between the countries has been eroding for years.
Erdogan meanwhile will pay a state visit to Germany, probably around late September, German newspaper Bild reported in Saturday editions, citing government sources in Berlin and Ankara.
It would be Erdogan’s first official visit to Germany since 2014, and his first since taking over the Turkish presidency, the mass circulation daily said.
Plans for the visit reflect efforts to rebuild relations between Germany and Turkey after ties soured in a series of disputes over Turkey’s crackdown after a failed coup in 2016 and its detention of German citizens and journalists.
A state visit includes a reception by the German president with military honours and a formal state banquet.
No immediate comment was available from the German or Turkish governments.
Former German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel in January said he had agreed with his counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, to do everything possible to improve ties between the NATO allies and trading partners.
German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yucel, who works for the publisher of Bild, was released in February after being held for a year on alleged security offenses.
His release removed a key irritant in ties between the two allies, but German officials remain deeply concerned about Turkey’s deteriorating record on human rights and freedoms.
Another German national was arrested in southeastern Turkey this week accused of spreading propaganda for Turkish militants, the state-run Anadolu news agency said on Wednesday.