There was no deal with Turkey for the release of American pastor Andrew Craig Brunson, U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday, thanking President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for his help and signaling a rapprochement in ties after a long period of trouble between the two NATO allies, Daily Sabah reports.
Trump also thanked Erdoğan for his help in the case of Brunson, who was freed by a Turkish court after two years of trial under arrest. He was sentenced on terror charges but released considering the time he was in prison.
Turkey's decision to release Brunson accused with alleged ties to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and the PKK terrorist organization was not due to any pressure from outside but rather the result of the processes of the independent Turkish judiciary, spokesman for Justice and Development Party (AK Party) also said Saturday.
