Foreign Economic Pressure On Turkey Will Not Change Countrys Policy - Turkish President

Fakhir Rizvi Published August 18, 2018 | 06:38 PM

Turkey will not change its policy despite the economic pressure from its foes, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday.

ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th August, 2018) Turkey will not change its policy despite the economic pressure from its foes, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday.

"Turkeys foes are trying to change our policy by economic means But we are moving forward and will keep going. No one has or will put us on our knees, and no one will break us," Erdogan said ahead of the congress of the Justice and Development Party led by the Turkish president.

The Turkish leader also said the United States had made Turkey its strategic target despite calling Ankara a countrys strategic partner.

"We will not surrender to those who call us a strategic partner, but who have made us their strategic target instead," Erdogan added.

US-Turkish bilateral relations have deteriorated over the imprisonment of US pastor Andrew Brunson, arrested in Turkey on suspicion of ties to the Gulen movement, which is accused of orchestrating the 2016 failed military coup in the country.

The pastor was since released from prison in late July and placed under house arrest.

In early August, Washington froze the assets of Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu over their alleged "leading roles" in Brunsons imprisonment, as well as other human rights abuses. On Thursday, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the United States might take more action against Ankara if Turkey did not release Brunson soon.

On August 10, US President Donald Trump authorized the doubling of steel and aluminum tariffs on Turkey, up to 50 and 20 percent, respectively, which resulted in the Turkish lira falling to a new historic low.

On Wednesday, a Turkish court rejected Washingtons latest appeal for the release of the US pastor. Later the same day, Turkey increased tariffs on imports of some US products.