Turkey accuses Trump of jeopardizing long-standing ties
ANKARA, Turkey -- A senior Turkish official on Thursday accused US President Donald Trump of jeopardizing long-standing close ties between Turkey and the United States, after Washington slapped sanctions on two Turkish ministers over the detention of an American pastor.
Turkey called on the United States to reverse its decision to impose financial sanctions on the interior and justice ministers. Ankara however, also vowed to retaliate against the move aimed at pressuring Turkey, a key NATO ally, into releasing Pastor Andrew Brunson, who is on trial on espionage and terror-related charges.
Ilnur Cevik, a senior adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told The Associated Press in an interview that Turkey was still deliberating possible measures but wanted to "minimize the damage."
