Don't force Turkey to look for other friends, Erdoğan addresses US in NYT article

Failure to reverse the "trend of unilateralism and disrespect" will force Turkey to look for new friends and allies, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has warned the United States administration in an opinion piece for the New York Times, referring to the ongoing diplomatic crisis between two countries over the arrest of Pastor Andrew Brunson.

After reminding the long history of friendly bilateral relations, Erdoğan said in the Aug. 10 article: "Unless the United States starts respecting Turkey’s sovereignty and proves that it understands the dangers that our nation faces, our partnership could be in jeopardy."

Turkish President likened the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey to Pearl Harbor attack, noting that the U.S. failed to "unequivocally condemn the attack and express solidarity with Turkey’s elected leadership" following the defeated putsch, while the leader of the coup plotters, Fethullah Gülen, still lives in Pennsylvania.

As another source of strained ties, Erdoğan also cited the U.S. support for the People's Protection Units (YPG), which is considered by Ankara as the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a terrorist organization according to both countries.

The Brunson issue was the last straw, according to Erdoğan. "Instead of respecting the judicial process, as I urged President Trump to do in our many meetings and conversations, the United States issued blatant threats against a friendly nation and proceeded to impose sanctions on several members of my cabinet. This decision was unacceptable, irrational and ultimately detrimental to our longstanding friendship," he said.

Repeating that Turkey would not respond to threats and will take necessary steps to protect its national interests, Erdoğan warned that Ankara "will take care of its own business if the United States refuses to listen," like it did in the 1970s when the Turkish government stepped in to prevent massacres of ethnic Turks by the Greek Cypriots despite Washington’s objections.

"At a time when evil continues to lurk around the world, unilateral actions against Turkey by the United States, our ally of decades, will only serve to undermine American interests and security. 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," Erdoğan concluded. "Failure to reverse this trend of unilateralism and disrespect will require us to start looking for new friends and allies."

Turkish officials held meetings on Aug. 8 with the State Department’s No. 2 official, John Sullivan, following a move by the U.S. to hit two senior Turkish government ministers with sanctions over the detention of Brunson.

While the two sides stated that the talks will continue, U.S. President Donald Trump announced higher tariffs on imports from Turkey as the Turkish Lira continued to tumble on Aug. 10.