Trump aide meets Turkish envoy amid Brunson deadlock

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The White House said on Monday that US National Security Adviser John Bolton met with Turkish Ambassador to the US Serdar Kilic in an attempt to end the deadlock in the issue of US pastor Andrew Brunson, who is currently being detained in Turkey.

Wrangle over the pastor

According to a statement issued by White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, Bolton met with Kilic in the White House "at the Turkish Ambassador's request."

File photo of John Bolton /VCG Photo

"They discussed Turkey's continued detention of Pastor Andrew Brunson and the state of the US-Turkey relationship," the statement read, without giving any further details.

The statement comes as the two nations continue to wrangle over Brunson, who was charged with involvement in a failed coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government in 2016.

File photo of Andrew Brunson /VCG Photo

US officials said no deadline had been set for Brunson's release, contradicting some media reports.

"The fact that there's ongoing discussions between the two countries regarding Brunson's return to the US is positive," said Jay Sekulow, an attorney for US President Donald Trump who is also representing Brunson's family. "I look forward to the Brunson family returning to the US."

US-Turkey relations at a low

According to reports, relations between NATO allies Turkey and the US are at a low point because of issues including Brunson's detention and diverging interests in Syria.

Trump doubled tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum imports last week, contributing to a precipitous fall in the country's lira currency.

People exchange money at a currency exchange office in Istanbul, August 8, 2018. /VCG Photo

US officials have given no indication that they are willing to make any concessions on the Brunson issue, with Trump seemingly content to keep economic pressure.

The US is also considering issuing a fine on Turkey's state-owned Halkbank for allegedly helping Iran evade US sanctions.

Earlier this month, the US imposed sanctions on two top officials in Erdogan’s cabinet in an attempt to get Turkey to return Brunson.

An employee of a foreign exchange office counts US dollars banknotes for a client in the center of Ankara, May 25, 2018. /VCG Photo

Last week, Trump tweeted that "our relations with Turkey are not good at this time!"

US monitoring the situation 'very closely'

Kevin Hassett, the chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said on Monday the Trump administration is monitoring the financial situation in Turkey "very closely" after the Turkish currency fell to a record low against the US dollar on Monday.

The Turkish lira has lost more than 40 percent of its value against the dollar this year.

File photo of Kevin Hassett /Reuters Photo

The lira pulled back from a record low of 7.24 per dollar on Monday after the Turkish central bank pledged to provide liquidity, but it remained under pressure to sell and its meltdown caused further unease on global markets.

Hassett said Trump's decision to double tariffs on Turkish steel was "a tiny, tiny fraction" of Turkey's gross domestic product (GDP).

"So for the currency to drop 40 percent is a sign that there are a lot of economic fundamentals that are out of whack in that country," Hassett noted.

(Cover: US pastor Andrew Brunson reacts as he arrives at his home, where he will be detained on house arrest, after being released from the prison in Izmir, Turkey, July 25, 2018. /Reuters Photo)

(With inputs from agencies)