President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey’s partnership with the United States is in jeopardy, warning Ankara could start looking for new allies.
Relations between the NATO allies have sunk to their lowest point in decades over a number of issues, including the detention of US pastor Andrew Brunson on terrorism-related charges, prompting the Turkish lira to hit record lows against the dollar.
The embattled lira tumbled 16 percent against the dollar on Friday, with US President Donald Trump saying he doubled steel and aluminium tariffs on Turkey – comments that contributed to the currency’s further slide.
In a New York Times opinion piece on Saturday, Erdogan warned Washington not to risk relations with Ankara otherwise his country would look for “new friends and allies”.
“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,” he wrote.
“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.”