Turkey remains defiant in row with US over pastor as deal falls through

A possible deal to end the US-Turkish row over an American pastor detained in Izmir appears to have failed after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan heaped additional demands on an agreement.
US Pastor Andrew Craig Brunson (C), is seen inside a car escorted by Turkish plain clothes police officers as he arrives at his house on July 25, 2018 in Izmir. - A Turkish court on July 25, 2018 ruled to place under house arrest US pastor who has been imprisoned for almost two years on terror-related charges in a case that has raised tensions with the United States, state media said. The state-run Anadolu news agency said he was being put under house arrest, although it was not clear if he had already lef
US pastor Andrew Craig Brunson (C) is seen inside a car escorted by Turkish plainclothes police officers as he arrives at his house on July 25, 2018, in Izmir. - GETTY
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Amberin Zaman
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Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has added to the Turkish government’s defiant rhetoric in the face of US sanctions over a detained North Carolina pastor, Andrew Brunson, who has become a lightning rod in the souring relationship between the two NATO allies.

Speaking at an Aug. 4 gathering of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the Mediterranean resort of Antalya, Cavusoglu said, “If you impose sanctions, you will be confronted with sanctions. What can you achieve with threatening language?”

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