Turkey has continued to see support for its strong stance against the U.S. and its sanctions in the recent row between Washington and Ankara.
Said Ahmad Penjweny, an Iraqi cleric who represents the International Union of Muslim Scholars in northern Iraq's Kurdish region, called on the Muslim world yesterday to support Turkey against recent speculative attacks on its economy and currency.
Penjweny told Anadolu Agency that Turkey has remained the target of international and regional scheming since the failure of the coup plot against it in 2016.
"This economic war is just another part of the conspiracy against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan," he said.
Relations between Ankara and Washington have been rocky since the Trump administration imposed sanctions on Turkey's interior and justice ministers last week after Ankara refused to release American pastor Andrew Brunson, who is under house arrest facing terrorism-related charges. Last Friday, President Donald Trump doubled tariffs on aluminum and steel imports from Turkey. The U.S. media said the decision was related to the current state of Turkish-American relations and the Brunson case.
Meanwhile, support also came from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). TRNC Public Works and Transportation Minister Tolga Atakan said yesterday that Turkey was facing "a serious global attack" during his visit to his Turkish counterpart Cahit Turhan in Ankara. "Turkey is not alone and the [Northern] Cypriot people stand [with Turkey] with their full support," Atakan added.
The Association of Palestinian Graduates from Turkish Universities also condemned the sanctions. Yesterday, the association said in a statement, "We condemn this unjust attack on the Turkish economy."
"We stand with the Turkish people and economy. Turkey's economy is strong and resilient, and this heinous attack will be overcome with the help of the Muslim Ummah and the free world," the statement added.
"We are aware of the plots being hatched in the region and, as always, stand with Turkey," Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF) leader Arshad Salihi said yesterday Turkey was being targeted by "certain countries," referring to the recent volatility in the Turkish economy.
But they will fail to achieve their objectives," he said, adding that the region's Turkmen wholly support the Turkish state, economy and currency.
