Turks unite to condemn Trump's threat to 'devastate' economy
Turkish government officials and members of the opposition condemned President Donald Trump's threat to "devastate Turkey economically" if Ankara attacks Washington's Kurdish allies in northern Syria.
ANKARA, Turkey — Turks erupted with a chorus of scorn for President Donald Trump’s threat to devastate their economy if the Turkish armed forces attacked the Syrian Kurds. Even parties that oppose President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s plan to march into northeast Syria deplored Trump’s choice of words.
“Nobody has ever been able to threaten Turkey like this in its history,” said Faik Oztrak, the spokesman for the main opposition, the Republican People’s Party (CHP).
In a tweet posted before dawn on Monday Turkish time, Trump said the United States was beginning to withdraw from Syria while at the same time attacking the remnants of the Islamic State. In a sudden change of direction, Trump added: “Will devastate Turkey economically if they hit Kurds.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters, “We’re not afraid of any threats. The US cannot get anywhere with economic threats."
