Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday stated that Turkey would commense trade in the local currency after the Turkish lira experienced a sharp decrease in value following an escalating row between NATO allies Ankara and Washington.
“We are preparing to conduct our trade in local currency. If European countries want to get rid of the dollar threat, we are ready to do this with them as well. We will never accept this order that threatens the whole world with an economic war.”
“We have come to today with our people. This is how we will overcome this crisis.”
"You can never bring this nation in line with the language of threats," Erdoğan told a crowd of supporters in the Turkish town of Unye on the Black Sea coast. "I am once again calling on those in America: It is a pity that you choose a pastor over your strategic partner in NATO," he said.
U.S threatens Turkey to hand Brunson over by 6 p.m.
Turkey and the U.S. are currently experiencing rocky relations following Washington’s imposition of sanctions on Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu and Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul for not releasing American Pastor Andrew Brunson, who faces terrorism charges in Turkey.
After almost 20 months in a Turkish jail, Brunson was moved to house arrest in July by a court. Since then Trump and his vice president Mike Pence have repeatedly called for his release while Ankara said the decision was up to the courts.
Erdoğan stated that the U.S. had threatened Turkey to "hand over Brunson by 6 p.m." on Sunday.
War of independence
Erdoğan on Saturday repeated a call to Turks to help support the lira to win what he described was a "war of independence".
"If there are dollars under your pillow, take these out. If there are euros, take these out .. Immediately give these to the banks and convert to Turkish lira and by doing this, we fight this war of independence and the future. Because this is the language they understand," he said.
In an opionion piece in the New York Times, Erdoğan warned the U.S. that Ankara had other alternatives as allies.
"Before it is too late, Washington must give up the misguided notion that our relationship can be asymmetrical and come to terms with the fact that Turkey has alternatives. Failure to reverse this trend of unilateralism and disrespect will require us to start looking for new friends and allies," Erdoğan said.
Turkey, home to the Incirlik air base which is used by U.S. forces in the Middle East, has been a NATO member since the 1950s. It is host to a critical part of the Western alliance's missile defence system again Iran.
Erdoğan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin also said Turkey's efforts to solve the crisis with diplomatic methods have been dismissed by the Trump administration, warning that Washington might completely lose Ankara as an ally.
"The U.S. runs the risk of losing Turkey as a whole. The entire Turkish public is against U.S. policies that disregard Turkey's legitimate security demands. Threats, sanctions and bullying against Turkey will not work," he said.
Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalın on Friday voiced strong will against any threats towards the country."No threat, blackmail or operation can discourage the will of Turkey," he wrote on his official Twitter account.Kalin also wrote those who said everything is over after the July 15, 2016 defeated coup erred and they will go wrong again."Turkey will win this fight as well," Kalin added.He also shared an image along with the tweet citing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying those who assumed that Turkey would bow down against economic manipulations do not know the Turkish nation.The Twitter statement came hours after the U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up his attack on Turkey by announcing the doubling of steel and aluminium tariffs on its NATO ally.
Turkey undeterred by threats: presidential aide
The U.S. sanctions have instigated a global economic war, Turkey's Parliament Speaker Binali Yıldırım said on Saturday."We see that some of sanction decisions that were initiated by the U.S. are now turning into a global economic war," Yıldırım said on Twitter account.Yıldırım said the "hostile" U.S. attitude against Iran, Russia and Turkey would serve no purpose.His remarks came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up his attack on Turkey by doubling U.S. tariffs on Turkish aluminum and steel imports to 20 percent and 50 percent, respectively.Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy on Friday said in a statement that Trump's decision, which disregards World Trade Organization rules, "cannot be associated with seriousness expected from a state"."All the steps taken against Turkey will be given a befitting response as they have been given before," Aksoy added.Erdoğan repeats call to Turks to help shore up liraUS runs risk of losing Turkey as a whole: Erdoğan aideTurkey to retaliate against Trump's metal tariffs
'US sanctions instigate economic war'
Threats and sanctions against Turkey will not work, presidential spokesman İbrahim Kalın said on Saturday. "The U.S. runs the risk of losing Turkey as a whole. The entire Turkish public is against U.S. policies that disregard Turkey's legitimate security demands."Threats, sanctions and bullying against Turkey will not work. It will only increase Turkey's resolve. But it will also further isolate the U.S. in both Turkey and on the international scene," Kalin wrote in his weekly column in the English-language Daily Sabah newspaper.Kalin's remarks came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up his attack on Turkey by doubling U.S. tariffs on Turkish aluminum and steel imports to 20 percent and 50 percent, respectively.Kalin said the Trump administration was involved in disputes with Canada, Mexico, Cuba, China, Russia, NATO, Germany and other countries mostly for domestic reasons."This has only damaged the credibility of the U.S. as a reliable partner and ally. The perception is not any different in Turkey," he added.Kalin went on saying that the crisis with the Trump administration over a pastor and the fluctuations in the currency market will not diminish Turkey's resolve.Turkey and the U.S. are currently experiencing rocky relations following Washington’s imposition of sanctions on Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu and Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul for not releasing American Pastor Andrew Brunson, who faces terrorism charges in Turkey."It is also a fact that the Turkish lira losing value against the U.S. dollar is a challenge. But it is a challenge Turkey is ready to confront. The issue, however, is larger than just a currency war," Kalin said.He added that Turkey's efforts to solve the Brunson issue through diplomatic channels have been rejected by the U.S. side."Turkey's good intentions and result-oriented approaches have been sidelined by the ideological attitudes and the 'my way or the high way' approach of the Trump White House," he said.The spokesman also said Turkey's security concerns, with regards to U.S. engagement with the PKK's Syria branch -- the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the People's Protection Units (YPG) -- and the presence of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) network in the U.S., were not taken seriously by its NATO ally."Neither the fight against Daesh nor the U.S. system can be an excuse to justify policies and attitudes that hurt Turkey's national security interests and harm Turkish-U.S. relations," Kalin added.He added Turkey will not give in to threats, pressures, sanctions or financial operations against its currency and financial markets and will not put others' demands over its own security demands.Kalin said Turkey has stood by its NATO allies against all forms of terrorism and cooperated with them to eliminate terrorist threats against their countries."Having seen military coups, terrorist attacks, and financial operations, Turkey has only strengthened its resolve and resilience. No threats or attacks will change that," he added.
US runs risk of losing Turkey as a whole: Erdoğan aide