Turkey vows retaliation in crisis with US over pastor

ISTANBUL: Turkey was on Thursday drawing up retaliatory measures after Washington slapped sanctions on two Turkish ministers in the one of the biggest crises between the two NATO allies in recent years.

Tensions have soared over Turkey‘s detention on terror charges of American pastor Andrew Brunson, who was first held in October 2016 and was moved to house arrest last week.White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told journalists both ministers had “played leading roles in the arrest and detention of Pastor Brunson”, who led a Protestant church in the Aegean city of Izmir.

The Turkish foreign ministry warned that the move “will greatly damage constructive efforts” to solve outstanding issues and told Washington it would retaliate.“Without delay, there will be a response to this aggressive attitude that will not serve any purpose,” it said.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who is set to meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the next few days, also warned that the move “will not go without response”.Hours before the sanctions were announced, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Washington of showing an “evangelist, Zionist mentality”. The standoff appears to be one of the most serious crises between Turkey and the United States in modern history, along with the rows over the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus and the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.

“A scandalous decision from Washington,” said the headline in the pro-government Hurriyet daily. “A historic rupture,” added the opposition Cumhuriyet.In a rare show of unity by Turkey‘s parliament, two opposition parties joined Erdogan’s ruling party and its main ally by agreeing a joint statement opposing the sanctions.

The row over Brunson escalated last week when US Vice President Mike Pence, like the pastor an evangelical Christian, said Turkey would face “significant sanctions” if this “innocent man of faith” was not freed.

His language was immediately echoed by President Donald Trump, who had enjoyed a relatively warm relationship with Erdogan and was even reported to have “fist-bumped” the Turkish president at a NATO summit last month. US media reported there had been a deal with Turkey to free Brunson after Washington’s ally Israel released a Turkish woman held on terror charges. But Turkish officials have rubbished the claims.