AFP, Ankara :
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey is seeking to hold a summit in Istanbul with France, Germany and Russia on September 7 to discuss regional issues including the Syrian conflict, in comments published on Sunday.
“We will discuss what we can do in the region together,” Erdogan said, quoted by Hurriyet daily.
He gave no further details on the issues on the agenda but said Turkey would continue dialogue with Russia, “outside of this foursome”, in the remarks made to Turkish journalists during his South Africa visit on July 25-27. Erdogan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the visit on the sidelines of the Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa summit of leading emerging economies in Johannesburg.
“We will separately have a summit in Istanbul on September 7 with Russia, Germany, France and Turkey”, Erdogan was quoted as saying.
There was no immediate confirmation from Moscow, Paris or Berlin.
The seven-year conflict in Syria is likely to be high on the four countries’ agenda as Russia, Iran and Turkey continue their efforts to end the war under the Astana peace process launched last year despite being on opposing sides.
While Moscow and Tehran support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Ankara has repeatedly called for his ouster and helped Syrian rebels.
In April, Erdogan held a summit with Putin and Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani in Ankara.
The three leaders are due to meet again in the near future in Tehran, Erdogan said without giving an exact date, while technical talks as part of the Astana process will take place on Monday and Tuesday in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in Russia.
Meanwhile, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned the US that sanctions would not force Ankara to “step back” after Donald Trump threatened to punish Turkey if a US pastor was not freed, in comments published Sunday.
“You cannot make Turkey take a step back with sanctions,” Erdogan said in his first comments since relations soured after Trump threatened the measures on Thursday if Pastor Andrew Brunson was not released.
“The US should not forget that it could lose a strong and sincere partner like Turkey if it does not change its attitude,” he was quoted as saying by Hurriyet daily.
Relations between the NATO allies have worsened over the jailing of Brunson, who ran a Protestant church in the Aegean city of Izmir.
He was held in a Turkish jail for almost two years on terror charges but was placed under house arrest on Wednesday.
Trump on Thursday hit back at the move, calling for his immediate release and warning that the US would impose “large sanctions on Turkey for their long time detainment” of Brunson.
Ties had already been strained over multiple issues including Washington’s support of a Syrian Kurdish militia which Turkey views as a terrorist group and the failure to extradite the Pennsylvania-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen.
Ankara accuses Gulen of ordering the 2016 failed overthrow of Erdogan, a claim he strongly denies.
The Washington Post on Friday reported a deal between Ankara and Washington was made to secure the release of a Turkish woman imprisoned in Israel in exchange for the freedom of Brunson.
Ebru Ozkan, 27, had been held for over a month by Israel on charges of passing hundreds of dollars to a “terrorist” group but returned to Turkey on July 16.
The newspaper said the agreement was “personally sealed” by Trump but fell apart when Brunson was transferred to house arrest.
Erdogan addressed the claims, stressing that Turkey had “never made Pastor Brunson a bargaining chip.”
However, he said Ankara had asked for Washington’s help in securing Ozkan’s return home.
“But we didn’t say: ‘In return for this, we will give you Brunson’. Nothing like this was discussed,” Erdogan insisted in remarks to journalists during a visit to South Africa.
Brunson risks up to 35 years in jail if found guilty of charges of carrying out activities on behalf of two groups deemed by Turkey to be terror organisations-the Gulen movement and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Brunson rejects the accusations while US officials have repeatedly insisted the pastor is innocent.
Erdogan in September suggested Turkey could free Brunson if the US handed over Gulen-an offer brushed off by Washington.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey is seeking to hold a summit in Istanbul with France, Germany and Russia on September 7 to discuss regional issues including the Syrian conflict, in comments published on Sunday.
“We will discuss what we can do in the region together,” Erdogan said, quoted by Hurriyet daily.
He gave no further details on the issues on the agenda but said Turkey would continue dialogue with Russia, “outside of this foursome”, in the remarks made to Turkish journalists during his South Africa visit on July 25-27. Erdogan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the visit on the sidelines of the Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa summit of leading emerging economies in Johannesburg.
“We will separately have a summit in Istanbul on September 7 with Russia, Germany, France and Turkey”, Erdogan was quoted as saying.
There was no immediate confirmation from Moscow, Paris or Berlin.
The seven-year conflict in Syria is likely to be high on the four countries’ agenda as Russia, Iran and Turkey continue their efforts to end the war under the Astana peace process launched last year despite being on opposing sides.
While Moscow and Tehran support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Ankara has repeatedly called for his ouster and helped Syrian rebels.
In April, Erdogan held a summit with Putin and Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani in Ankara.
The three leaders are due to meet again in the near future in Tehran, Erdogan said without giving an exact date, while technical talks as part of the Astana process will take place on Monday and Tuesday in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in Russia.
Meanwhile, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned the US that sanctions would not force Ankara to “step back” after Donald Trump threatened to punish Turkey if a US pastor was not freed, in comments published Sunday.
“You cannot make Turkey take a step back with sanctions,” Erdogan said in his first comments since relations soured after Trump threatened the measures on Thursday if Pastor Andrew Brunson was not released.
“The US should not forget that it could lose a strong and sincere partner like Turkey if it does not change its attitude,” he was quoted as saying by Hurriyet daily.
Relations between the NATO allies have worsened over the jailing of Brunson, who ran a Protestant church in the Aegean city of Izmir.
He was held in a Turkish jail for almost two years on terror charges but was placed under house arrest on Wednesday.
Trump on Thursday hit back at the move, calling for his immediate release and warning that the US would impose “large sanctions on Turkey for their long time detainment” of Brunson.
Ties had already been strained over multiple issues including Washington’s support of a Syrian Kurdish militia which Turkey views as a terrorist group and the failure to extradite the Pennsylvania-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen.
Ankara accuses Gulen of ordering the 2016 failed overthrow of Erdogan, a claim he strongly denies.
The Washington Post on Friday reported a deal between Ankara and Washington was made to secure the release of a Turkish woman imprisoned in Israel in exchange for the freedom of Brunson.
Ebru Ozkan, 27, had been held for over a month by Israel on charges of passing hundreds of dollars to a “terrorist” group but returned to Turkey on July 16.
The newspaper said the agreement was “personally sealed” by Trump but fell apart when Brunson was transferred to house arrest.
Erdogan addressed the claims, stressing that Turkey had “never made Pastor Brunson a bargaining chip.”
However, he said Ankara had asked for Washington’s help in securing Ozkan’s return home.
“But we didn’t say: ‘In return for this, we will give you Brunson’. Nothing like this was discussed,” Erdogan insisted in remarks to journalists during a visit to South Africa.
Brunson risks up to 35 years in jail if found guilty of charges of carrying out activities on behalf of two groups deemed by Turkey to be terror organisations-the Gulen movement and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Brunson rejects the accusations while US officials have repeatedly insisted the pastor is innocent.
Erdogan in September suggested Turkey could free Brunson if the US handed over Gulen-an offer brushed off by Washington.
