NEW YORK (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said a Turkish court, not politicians, will decide the fate of an American pastor whose detention on terrorism charges has hit relations between Ankara and Washington.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday he was hopeful Turkey would release evangelical pastor Andrew Brunson this month. The preacher was moved to house arrest in July after being detained for 21 months.

In an interview with Reuters late on Tuesday while he was in New York for the United Nations General Assembly meetings, Erdogan said any decision on Brunson would be made by the court.

“This is a judiciary matter. Brunson has been detained on terrorism charges ... On Oct. 12 there will be another hearing and we don’t know what the court will decide and politicians will have no say on the verdict,” Erdogan said.

If found guilty, Brunson could be jailed for up to 35 years. He denies the charges. “As the president, I don’t have the right to order his release. Our judiciary is independent. Let’s wait and see what the court will decide,” Erdogan said.

U.S. President Donald Trump, infuriated by Brunson’s detention, authorized a doubling of duties on aluminum and steel imported from Turkey in August. Turkey retaliated by increasing tariffs on U.S. cars, alcohol and tobacco imports.

The Turkish lira has lost nearly 40 percent of its value against the dollar this year on concerns over Erdogan’s grip on monetary policy and the diplomatic dispute between Ankara and Washington.

“The Brunson case is not even closely related to Turkey’s economy. The current economic challenges have been exaggerated more than necessary and Turkey will overcome these challenges with its own resources,” Erdogan said.

Turkey’s central bank raised its benchmark rate by a hefty 625 basis points this month, boosting the lira and possibly easing investor concern over Erdogan’s influence on monetary policy. Erdogan said he was against the measure.

“It shows the central bank is independent. As the president, I am against high interest rates and I am repeating my stance here again,” he said, adding that high rates “primarily scare away investors”.

“This was a decision made by the central bank ... I hope and pray that their expectations will be met because high rates lead to high inflation. I hope the other way around will happen this time.”

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan sits during an interview with Reuters in Manhattan, New York, U.S., September 25, 2018. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

The lira firmed slightly on Wednesday morning, after Erdogan’s assurance on the independence of the central bank was published.

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In an effort to boost the economy and attract investors, Erdogan will travel on Sept. 28 to Germany, a country that is home to millions of Turks.

“We want to completely leave behind all the problems and to create a warm environment between Turkey and Germany just like it used to be,” Erdogan said, adding that he will meet Chancellor Angela Merkel during his visit.

The two NATO members have differed over Turkey’s crackdown on suspected opponents of Erdogan after a failed coup in 2016 and over its detention of German citizens.

On Syria, Erdogan said it was impossible for Syrian peace efforts to continue with President Bashar al-Assad in power.

Earlier this month, Turkey and Russia reached an agreement to enforce a new demilitarized zone in Syria’s Idlib region from which “radical” rebels will be required to withdraw by the middle of next month.

But Erdogan said the withdrawal of “radical groups” had already started.

“This part of Syria will be free of weapons which is the expectation of the people of Idlib ... who welcomed this step,” he said. The demilitarized zone will be patrolled by Turkish and Russian forces.

Close to 3 million people live in Idlib, around half of them displaced by the war from other parts of Syria.

Erdogan said Turkey will continue to buy natural gas from Iran in line with its long-term supply contract despite Trump’s threats to punish countries doing business with Iran.

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“We need to be realistic ... Am I supposed to let people freeze in winter? ...Nobody should be offended. How can I heat my people’s homes if we stop purchasing Iran’s natural gas?,” he said.

Trump pulled the United States out of a 2015 multinational nuclear deal with Iran and in August Washington reimposed sanctions on Tehran, lifted in 2016 under the pact. U.S. sanctions on Iran’s energy sector are set to be re-imposed in November.</s>Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan told Reuters in an interview that the Turkish court, not politicians, will decide the fate of an American pastor whose detention on terrorism charges has hit relations between Ankara and Washington.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday he was hopeful Turkey would release evangelical pastor Andrew Brunson this month. The preacher was moved to house arrest in July after being detained for 21 months.

In an interview with Reuters late on Tuesday while he was in New York for the United Nations General Assembly meetings, Erdoğan said any decision on Brunson would be made by the court.

“This is a judicial matter. Brunson has been detained on terrorism charges … There will be another hearing on Oct. 12, and we don’t know what the court will decide, and politicians will have no say in the verdict,” Erdoğan said.

If found guilty, Brunson could be jailed for up to 35 years. He denies the charges.

“As president, I don’t have the right to order his release. Our judiciary is independent. Let’s wait and see what the court will decide,” Erdoğan said.

US President Donald Trump, infuriated by Brunson’s detention, authorized a doubling of duties on aluminum and steel imported from Turkey in August. Turkey retaliated by increasing tariffs on US cars, alcohol and tobacco imports.

The Turkish lira has lost nearly 40 percent of its value against the dollar this year on concerns over Erdoğan’s grip on monetary policy and the diplomatic dispute between Ankara and Washington.

“The Brunson case is not even closely related to Turkey’s economy. The current economic challenges have been exaggerated more than necessary, and Turkey will overcome these challenges with its own resources,” Erdoğan said.</s>American Pastor Andrew Brunson, who is under house arrest in Turkey, will have to wait until the court makes a decision on Oct. 12 to find out if he will be freed, the country's president said Tuesday.

"This is a judiciary matter. Brunson has been detained on terrorism charges ... On Oct. 12 there will be another hearing and we don't know what the court will decide and politicians will have no say on the verdict," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Reuters late Tuesday.

Brunson, who is facing 35 years in prison on controversial charges of espionage and terrorism, was remanded to house arrest and banned from leaving the country as an appeal for his release was rejected by the Third High Criminal Court in Izmir last month.

According to the indictment against Brunson that was highlighted by Bloomberg Businessweek, the pastor is accused of conspiring with others to coordinate a group of malefactors that included evangelicals, Mormons, members of the Muslim Fethullah Gulen faith group (designated as terrorists by Ankara after Turkey's failed 2016 military coup), the Kurdish-Marxist PKK terrorist organization, an Israeli, an Iranian, and current and former agents of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency to destabilize the country.

Brunson is a pastor from North Carolina who served as a church leader in Izmir for the past two decades.

The pastor's continued detention has intensified a diplomatic row between Turkey and the U.S., which recently imposed sanctions on two Turkish ministers and increased tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum imports.

Turkey has retaliated with some $533 million in tariffs on some U.S. imports such as cars, tobacco and alcoholic drinks. Officials noted that they would also boycott U.S. electronic goods.

Despite the ongoing row over Brunson's arrest, which has been taken up as a cause by evangelicals, Erdogan says he cannot usurp the power of his country's courts.

"As the president, I don't have the right to order his release. Our judiciary is independent. Let's wait and see what the court will decide," Erdogan said.

Meanwhile, Turkish officials gave signals on Sunday that Brunson could be released next month, according to The Wall Street Journal.

"It's a possible outcome," an unidentified Turkish official said in the report.

U.S. officials also said that the Trump administration has also decided to ease off its pressure campaign to prevent fears over Turkey's economic difficulties from spreading to other emerging markets.

"The best strategy is, right before this October hearing, to be a little bit calm because they are recognizing finally now that we're willing to act," one U.S. official familiar with the debate told the Journal. "Come October, if we're in the same place, our side is going to unload on the Turks ... Right now it's a critical time where you don't want to put them in a bind."

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed that Brunson could be released in October but insisted that the pastor and other Americans detained in Turkey should never have been arrested.

"I'm sure there will be some conversations in furtherance of that this week," Pompeo said. "But make no mistake, there is nothing we will share with them here that we haven't shared with them already about President Trump's demands, that these innocent people who have truly done nothing wrong, cannot be detained wrongly."</s>NEW YORK, Sept 26 — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said a Turkish court, not politicians, will decide the fate of an American pastor Andrew Brunson whose detention on terrorism charges has roiled relations between Ankara and Washington.

In an interview yesterday while he was in New York for the annual United Nations General Assembly, Erdogan said Turkey will continue to purchase Iran’s natural gas, despite US sanctions on Tehran.

Erdogan said it was impossible for Syrian peace efforts to continue with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in power, adding that the withdrawal of “radical groups” had already started from a new demilitarized zone in Syria’s Idlib region.

Erdogan also said the decision of Turkey’s central bank to raise its benchmark rate was a clear sign of its independence, adding that as president he was against increasing the rates. — Reuters</s>Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said a Turkish court, not politicians, will decide the fate of an American pastor whose detention on terrorism charges has roiled relations between Ankara and Washington.

US secretary of atate Mike Pompeo said on Monday he was hopeful Turkey would release evangelical pastor Andrew Brunson this month. He was moved to house arrest in July after being detained for 21 months.

In an interview on Tuesday while he was in New York for the annual United Nations General Assembly meetings, Erdogan said any decision on Brunson would be made by the court.

'This is a judiciary matter. Brunson has been detained on terrorism charges ... On Oct 12 there will be another hearing and we don't know what the court will decide and politicians will have no say on the verdict,' Erdogan said.

If found guilty, Brunson could be jailed for up to 35 years. He denies the charges.

'As the president, I don't have the right to order his release. Our judiciary is independent. Let's wait and see what the court will decide,' Erdogan said.

US president Donald Trump, infuriated over Brunson's detention, authorised a doubling of duties on aluminium and steel imported from Turkey in August. Turkey retaliated by increasing tariffs on US cars, alcohol and tobacco imports.

The Turkish lira has lost nearly 40 per cent of its value against the dollar this year on concerns over Erdogan's grip on monetary policy and the diplomatic dispute between Ankara and Washington.

'The Brunson case is not even closely related to Turkey's economy. The current economic challenges have been exaggerated more than necessary and Turkey will overcome these challenges with its own resources,' Erdogan said.

Turkey's central bank raised its benchmark rate by a hefty 625 basis points this month, boosting the lira and possibly easing investor concern over Erdogan's influence on monetary policy.

Erdogan said the decision was a clear sign of the central bank's independence, adding that as president he was against increasing rates.

He also said Turkey will continue to purchase Iranian natural gas, despite US sanctions on Tehran.

Erdogan said it was impossible for Syrian peace efforts to continue with Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in power, adding that the withdrawal of 'radical groups' had already started from a new demilitarised zone in Syria's Idlib region.</s>Turkey’s currency firmed more than 3 percent against the dollar on Monday, boosted after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he expected discussions with Turkish officials this week about a US pastor on trial in Turkey, Reuters reported.

Turkey’s lira has tumbled 40 percent against the dollar this year, hit by concerns about President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s grip on monetary policy and, more recently, a diplomatic row between Ankara and Washington.

Pompeo, speaking in New York, said he expects US talks with Turkish officials to take place this week to discuss the detained pastor, Andrew Brunson.

The lira firmed as far as 6.0575 against the dollar, compared with Friday’s close of 6.2900.

According to a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report on Sunday, Turkish authorities are sending signals that Brunson could be released next month when he appears in court on Oct. 12.

A Turkish judge could free Brunson when he appears in court in October — but only if the US stops putting pressure on the country to send the American back to the US, according to Turkish officials, the WSJ said.

After a Turkish court put Brunson under house arrest following almost two years of incarceration on terrorism charges, the US administration sanctioned two Turkish ministers and doubled the tariffs on aluminum and steel imports from Turkey. (turkishminute.com)</s>Despite President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's promises that another economic boom is just around the corner, Turkey's people have continued to struggle with the fallout from a rapidly deteriorating economy that has sent rates of inflation above 18% as international investors have scrambled to move their money out of the country.

And while investors have sent the lira higher this week following comments from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Turkey might soon release an imprisoned US pastor, as well as assurances from Erdogan that the Turkish central bank would remain independent, the strongman insisted during an interview with Reuters published Thursday that a Turkish Court would decide the pastor's fate, walking back his earlier comments.

"This is a judiciary matter. Brunson has been detained on terrorism charges...On Oct. 12 there will be another hearing and we don’t know what the court will decide and politicians will have no say on the verdict," Erdogan said.

"As the president, I don’t have the right to order his release. Our judiciary is independent. Let’s wait and see what the court will decide."

Evangelical Pastor Andrew Brunson, who was recently moved to house arrest after being jailed since July, is facing up to 35 years in a Turkish prison on charges that he was working on behalf of exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen. Erdogan has accused more than 100,000 Turks of having illicit ties to Gulen during a purge that has continued since a failed coup attempt more than two years ago.

President Trump helped accelerate Turkey's economic decline in August when he doubled tariffs on aluminum and steel imports from Turkey, triggering a drop in the Turkish lira that has mostly persisted. Turkey, meanwhile, retaliated by hiking levies on US-made tobacco products, alcohol and cars. The two leaders shared an icy greeting at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.

Still, Erdogan's claim that he would abide by the CBRT's decision to hike its benchmark interest rate by 625 basis points has helped ease investor anxieties that he would seek to intervene with the country's monetary policy. This helped support the lira in early trade.

"This was a decision made by the central bank...I hope and pray that their expectations will be met because high rates lead to high inflation. I hope the other way around will happen this time."

In another effort to bolster Turkey's flagging economy, Erdogan said he would travel to Germany later this week to try and repair ties with the German government.

In an effort to boost the economy and attract investors, Erdogan will travel on Sept. 28 to Germany, a country that is home to millions of Turks. "We want to completely leave behind all the problems and to create a warm environment between Turkey and Germany just like it used to be," Erdogan said, adding that he will meet Chancellor Angela Merkel during his visit. The two NATO members have differed over Turkey’s crackdown on suspected opponents of Erdogan after a failed coup in 2016 and over its detention of German citizens.

Moving on to other issues, Erdogan reiterated his view that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must leave power if Syria ever wants to know peace. He said it would be impossible for Syrian peace efforts to continue with al-Assad in power.

He also reiterated that Turkey would continue buying oil from Iran in defiance of US sanctions. "We need to be realistic...Am I supposed to let people freeze in winter?... Nobody should be offended. How can I heat my people’s homes if we stop purchasing Iran’s natural gas?."</s>Turkish authorities are sending signals that Pastor Andrew Brunson could be released next month.

The Wall Street Journal reports Turkish officials say a judge could free Brunson when he appears in court on October 12, but only if the US stops putting pressure on the country to send him back to the states.

The Turkish government moved Brunson from jail to house arrest in July. Although the 50-year-old pastor has ministered in the country for more than two decades, the Turkish government charged Brunson with conspiring against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's rule during a 2016 attempted coup.

The Trump administration calls those charges bogus and has made securing Brunson's freedom a priority.

"I don't think there's ever been any administration, any president that has brought up a prisoner of conscience, a prisoner who's in prison because of his faith, more than any other one than President Reagan did for Natan Sharansky. So, this is historic in that how many times they have actually brought this subject up in high level conversations with the Turkish administration," Middle East and Islamic Affairs Analyst Mike Kerem told CBN News.

The Trump Administration went beyond talking, leveling sanctions on Turkey that put its currency into a free fall. However, U.S. officials said the administration decided to ease off amid fear that Turkey's economic difficulties could spread to other emerging markets.

"All of the secular media without exception are saying 'A pastor, who cares about a pastor?' The trade with Turkey is much more important. The value of the Lira is much more important," says Michael Youseff from Leading the Way ministry. "But the Trump administration is saying 'no,' a pastor who is in prison and being persecuted is important to us and we're willing to really put our money where our mouth are we're willing to take a strong stand."

Evangelist Franklin Graham recently called on Christians to pray and for the US to be careful.

"First, I would ask that everyone who's watching now to pray for Andrew Brunson. He's been falsely accused and this is just a sham. He needs to come home. He hasn't done anything wrong. But Turkey, you have to remember that this is a country that is fast becoming a radical Islamic state. I think we need to get Brunson home and we need to be careful whatever we do as a country until they change leadership and change the direction they're going," he said.</s>Lawyer Cem Halavut said on Wednesday that his client Andrew Brunson, who is an American pastor standing trial in Turkey, will likely remain under house arrest after his next hearing on October 12.

The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday that Brunson could be released this month, but Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the courts, not politicians, would decide his fate.

According to a report by Turkish online news outlet Artı Gerçek, Halavut said: “I do not know on what grounds and on the basis of which information Pompeo made that statement. There are those saying the political situation has eased, but, in my opinion, these are subjective comments.”

Halavut also said that there was much negotiation at the time Brunson was moved from prison to house arrest in July, but talks had now halted. “President Erdoğan’s statement today also shows this issue will stay in limbo,” Halavut said.

The United States last month imposed sanctions on two Turkish ministers and doubled tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum from Turkey in response to the detention of Brunson and other US citizens that President Donald Trump says are being held as hostages.

Brunson was arrested in October 2016 and later charged with alleged links to the Gülen movement and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

“This is a judiciary matter. Brunson has been detained on terrorism charges,” Erdoğan said on Wednesday and added that “On Oct. 12 there will be another hearing and we don’t know what the court will decide and politicians will have no say on the verdict.”

Turkey eyeing Mormons as next target after Brunson

Meanwhile, Bloomberg wrote on Wednesday that even if Brunson is freed, the threat to Turkey’s Mormons, who prosecutors say Brunson conspired with, will remain.

Turkish prosecutors allege that Kenneth Abney, a retired US special forces major and Mormon missionary, conspired with Brunson “to coordinate a group of malefactors that included not only evangelicals and Mormons — that is, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS)— but also the Muslim Fethullah Gülen faith group, the Kurdish-Marxist PKK terrorist organization, an Israeli, an Iranian, and current and former agents of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency,’’ Bloomberg said.

While Abney, now 71 and on a Mormon mission in the US, has not been indicted, he remains under investigation. He maintains that he never met Brunson or even knew of his existence until his 2016 arrest.

“There are so many accusations. I think they will start an operation against the other religious groups,” Bloomberg quoted Halavurt, Brunson’s lawyer, as saying.

The pastor is merely a symptom of the rot that has afflicted the Ankara-Washington relationship for years, Bloomberg stressed, with the sides at odds over whether to arm or destroy Kurdish fighters in Syria and the Turkish president deflecting responsibility for a collapsing economy onto what he calls a US-led “economic war.”

The main witness in the Brunson case claims that “an umbrella organization for Christian churches that are led by Mormons but involves the CIA, FBI, and National Security Agency controls the deployment of all US Christian missionaries; that they identify each other in the field with a secret handshake, a curl of the middle fingers into the palm; that LDS members sent to infiltrate Turkish military high schools as language teachers all had a finger missing; that Mormons make up 40 percent of the US military stationed overseas; and that evangelicals and Mormons are driven to Turkey by a common desire to bring about the end-of-days prophecies in the Bible’s Book of Revelation, by reuniting the Kurds—the lost 13th tribe of Israel,’’ Bloomberg wrote.</s>Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has promised that the US is doing everything it can to free pastor Andrew Brunson.

Brunson has been held for nearly two years in Turkey on espionage and terrorism-related charges – charges he denies. He was arrested in the southwestern city of Izmir, where he had spent more than two decades doing mission work. The pastor was recently moved from a prison to house arrest as his trial continues.

Speaking at the Values Voter Summit, which is attended mostly by Christians, Pompeo said the pastor's plight was important to the Trump administration and that their goal was to bring him home.

'We are sparing no effort to return Pastor Brunson home to the United States,' he said.

'The work is important. He has been wrongly held and his proper place is to be able to return here to once again practice his faith in our great nation.'

The summit was also joined by Brunson's daughter Jacqueline Furnari, who rejected Turkey's charges against her father.

'The entire last two years has really shown that this is just baseless charges,' she said. 'It's a sham trial and my dad is being used as a bargaining chip and suffering for Jesus Christ.'

The next court hearing in Brunson's trial is on October 12.

Furnari added: 'It's been a painful time and we're just ready for it all to be over.'

Brunson's trial has sparked a diplomatic row between Turkey and the US, with the latter increasing trade tariffs and imposing sanctions on two diplomats.

US president Donald Trump recently said he was 'very disappointed' with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over his refusal to free Brunson after Trump apparently helped in the release of a Turkish citizen detained in Israel.

'I'm disappointed in him,' Trump told Bloomberg, adding that Brunson's release was 'too dear to my heart.'
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says that a Turkish court will decide the fate of American pastor Andrew Brunson.