Us Sanctions Hurting Its Own Reputation: Turkish Foreign Minister

Sanctions imposed by the US on Turkey are shattering the US’ reputation, warned Turkey’s Foreign Minister Cavusoglu on Tuesday.

“The era of bullying must end,” Mevlut Cavusoglu said during a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov at the 10th Ambassadors’ Conference in the capital Ankara.

TRT World ‘s Andrew Hopkins reports from Ankara.

“If the US wants to continue being a reputable country, it cannot do so with these impositions,” he said, referring to the sanctions.

“We are against the US or any country imposing sanctions,” he added.

For his part, Lavrov said that the US’ “unlawful and illegitimate” sanctions policy cannot last for long.

Turkey and the US are currently experiencing rocky relations following Washington’s imposition of sanctions on two government ministers who “played leading roles in the arrest and detention” of American pastor Andrew Brunson, who faces terrorism-related charges in Turkey.

President Donald Trump on Friday ramped up his attack on Turkey by doubling US tariffs on Turkish aluminium and steel imports.

The five-day ambassadors’ conference is hosting 249 Turkish ambassadors and two charge d’affaires, as well as a number of foreign diplomats.