US, Turkey officials meet over jailed pastor

Mike Pompeo the US Secretary of State has reportedly staged a meeting with the foreign minister of Turkey over the release of jailed American pastor identified as Andrew Brunson.

Reports say Pompeo held talks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Singapore to seek the release of the detained American pastor.

During the meeting, Pompeo also told Cavusoglu that he would be seeking the release of several local employees of the US diplomatic missions in Turkey.

Friday’s meeting which is on the sidelines of the Southeast Asian security conference comes just days after the US hit senior Turkish officials with sanctions over the case, straining ties between the NATO allies.

The foreign ministry of Turkey has called on Washington to reverse its “wrong decision” and also added that its ‘aggressive attitude serves no purpose’.

Turkey’s foreign ministry said in a written statement on Thursday: “The decision, which disrespectfully intervenes in our judicial system, will seriously damage the constructive efforts made in order to resolve problems between the two countries.”

It added that the US’ “aggressive attitude serves no purpose,” and vowed that it would respond in equal measure.

According to White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Trump’s administration sanctioned Turkey’s minister of justice and minister of interior over the holding of the 50-year-old pastor.

Brunson, a Christian pastor from North Carolina who has lived in Turkey for more than two decades was detained by a court in Turkey on charges bordering on spying and terrorism and now faces up to 35 years in jail if found guilty.