Erdogan trouble continues with US indictment
The US indictment and issue of an arrest warrant for Turkey’s former economy minister has created more setbacks for Ankara, where many believe the ultimate target of the investigation is President Erdogan.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s headaches with the United States are growing rather than decreasing under President Donald Trump’s administration, with serious implications for Ankara’s already tense ties with Washington. The cause of his latest annoyance, however, has nothing to do with Syria or Iraq, where Ankara and Washington remain at loggerheads over key issues.
Erdogan, who is accused of stifling the independence of the judiciary at home in order to consolidate his power, is increasingly up against the independent US judiciary, which last week indicted a minister of his for taking millions of dollars in bribes in order to help Iran circumvent US sanctions.
The case is also expected to cause political complications for Erdogan at home if he can’t find a way to contain developments in the United States that are beyond his control.
Erdogan’s supporters have little doubt who the real target in this case is.
