The United States slapped unprecedented sanctions on two Turkish ministers Aug. 1 over Ankara’s refusal to release a detained American pastor, but some in Turkish government quarters have a different view of what lies behind the crisis. The United States, the argument goes, is furious over Turkey’s efforts to replace the dollar with national currencies in its trade with Iran and the BRICS countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
As the row over pastor Andrew Brunson escalated July 26 with President Donald Trump’s threat of sanctions, Burhan Kuzu, an administrative board member of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and former adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, tweeted, “The issue is not Brunson, don’t you get it yet? Trump has become a hostage to the Jewish lobby. This reaction stems from Turkey’s warm relations with Russia, Iran and China. The United States has gone mad over developments related to trade in national currencies and casting off the dollar.”