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AUTHORITARIAN GOVERNMENTS around the world have increasingly embraced the disgraceful tactic of arresting U.S. citizens and holding them as de facto hostages in an attempt to gain leverage over Washington. Iran and North Korea were pioneering practitioners and both repeatedly extracted U.S. concessions. That probably encouraged other nations, including Egypt and Venezuela. Now comes Recep Tayyip Erdogans Turkey, a NATO member that appears well on its way to becoming an outlaw state.

In the past year the Erdogan government has seized a dozen Americans as well as two Turks working for U.S. consulates. With a brazenness that would make Tehrans Revolutionary Guard Corps blush, Mr. Erdogan recently made clear that the prisoners are little more than pawns whom he wishes to trade for Turks in the United States particularly the cleric Fethullah Gulen, an Erdogan rival who lives in Pennsylvania. Give us that pastor, Mr. Erdogan recently said of Mr. Gulen, and we will do what we can to release Andrew Brunson, an America minister.

Following the latest arrest, of a consular employee in Istanbul, an understandably exasperated U.S. Embassy announced a freeze Sunday on the issuance of nonimmigrant visas to Turks a drastic measure that was quickly reciprocated by the Turkish mission in Washington. Such a ban could hurt many innocent people, including Turkish journalists and civil society activists working to resist Mr. Erdogans repression. If it endures, it should be refined to target government officials, business executives and others linked to the regime.

Theres no question, however, that the Trump administration, which has persisted in describing Mr. Erdogan as a close ally, must now stand up to his bullying. The Turkish ruler appears to believe he can persecute Americans with impunity; his arrogance was encapsulated when he watched as his security detail attacked peaceful protesters outside the Turkish ambassadors residence in Washington in May. His demands about Turks in the United States are equally lawless. Ankara has offered scant evidence that Mr. Gulen is guilty of a crime, which means that U.S. courts could not approve extradition. Two other Turks whose return Mr. Erdogan seeks are being prosecuted for helping Iran evade sanctions.

Over about 15 years in power, Mr. Erdogan may have drawn the conclusion that Washington will inevitably tolerate his transgressions because of Turkeys strategic importance. Unfortunately, the Obama administration provided plenty of evidence for that, as has President Trump, who after meeting Mr. Erdogan last month inexplicably declared that we are as close as weve ever been. In fact, Turkeys value in fighting the Islamic State has diminished as U.S. forces have partnered with rival Kurds; and Ankaras decision to work with Russia and Iran in Syria, while purchasing an advanced air defense system from Moscow, has further detached it from the West.

The long-standing U.S. alliance with Turkey should be preserved, to the extent that is possible with Mr. Erdogan in power. But that cannot come at the expense of tolerating hostage-taking and assaults on the U.S. rule of law. Mr. Erdogan should be made to understand that he is risking a rupture of relations that will do far more harm to his regime than to the United States.

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Erdogan is bullying America. Trump should do something ...

Markets in Istanbul tumbled after the U.S. and Turkey stopped issuing visas for each others citizens in a spat related to last years failed coup againstPresident Recep Tayyip Erdogan, deepening divisions between NATO members already at odds over the war in Syria.

The Trump administration halted visa services for Turks on Sunday, citing the Oct. 4 arrest of a Turkish citizen employed at the U.S. consulate in Istanbul for alleged involvement in the July 2016 putsch attempt. Erdogans government responded in kind within hours, repeating verbatim much of the U.S.statement.

The implementation of a such a decision by the U.S. ambassador in Ankara is very saddening, Erdogan said at a televised press conference in Kiev, Ukraine. He said that he ordered Turkeys foreign ministry to reciprocate the move. Turkey is a state of law, not a tribal state, he said.

Relations have soured since the foiled coup, which Erdogan blames on a self-exiled cleric based in the U.S., Fethullah Gulen. The U.S. has refused Turkeys request to extradite Gulen, citing lack of evidence. Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul on Monday rejected the U.S. ambassadors request for a meeting as prosecutors invited another consulate worker in to testify, AHaber TV reported. The pro-government channel said the employees wife and child had been detained, but it didnt specify the workers whereabouts.

Read more: How Turkey-U.S. ties frayed-- a QuickTake Q&A

The U.S. Embassys press service in the capital Ankara declined to comment.

Problems that have been accumulating between the countries for a long time are starting to snowball, Tuncay Ozilhan, head of the advisory council of Tusiad, one of of Turkeys most influential business lobbies, said by phone.

The lira dropped 3.2 percent to 3.7334 against the dollar as of 5:23 p.m. in Istanbul, after plunging as much as 6.6 percent. The benchmark Borsa Istanbul 100 Index of stocks declined 3 percent.

Both sides said recent events had forced them to reassess the commitment of the other to the security of diplomatic facilities and personnel. Only two weeks ago, President Donald Trump praised Erdogan when they met at the United Nations in New York, saying that hes becoming a friend of mine and that frankly, hes getting high marks.

The U.S. last week called the charges against the worker wholly without merit, saying it was deeply disturbed by the arrest and by leaks from Turkish government sources seemingly aimed at trying the employee in the media rather than a court of law. Turkey responded by saying the arrested citizen wasnt part of the regular diplomatic corps but a local employee.

If this fight with the U.S. continues, country risk wont decline regardless of policies in other areas, said Ozlem Derici, founder of Spinn Consulting in Istanbul.

The visa spat comes as Turkish troops are preparing to deepen their involvement next door in Syria, where Turkey is planning a joint mission with Russia and Iran to create a combat-free zone in the Idlib province. Erdogan vowed Sunday to prevent stateless Kurds, whove been battling Turkish forces for decades, from creating a terror corridor from Iraq to the Mediterranean.

Turkey has also rebuffed the U.S. over charges that a former economy minister and a state bank conspired to help Iran launder hundreds of millions of dollars through the U.S. financial system, as well as its decision to buy a Russian missile-defense system that isnt compatible with NATO.

I would expect that there will be some sort of de-escalation at the leadership level -- Trump and Erdogan will speak or meet, said Murat Yurtbilir, who specializes in Turkish affairs at the Australian National University. But the underlying problems wont go away: the Gulen issue, Turkeys slow switch toward Russias policy in Syria, and the economy.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said at a briefing on Sept. 27 that the U.S. had received several requests for Gulens extradition, but that it had been a while since officials talked about the issue.

Erdogan in July accused foreigners of attempting to break Turkey apart and vowed to crush agents acting against his country. He gained sweeping powers in April after a tight referendum that critics said was fraudulent. A Council of Europe agency has since put Turkey on its watchlist, saying crackdowns on opponents have compromised human rights and the rule of law.

In recent months, Erdogan has increased coordination with Russia and Iran amid deepening tensions with the U.S., exacerbated by Washingtons decision to deliver arms to Kurdish groups that Turkey views as terrorists.

More than 37,000 U.S. citizens traveled to Turkey in 2016, about 1.7 percent of the total and down from 88,301 in 2015, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.Turkey has been attracting fewer visitors since 2014 amid concerns about terrorism, regional instability and the failed coup. The U.S. tourist office doesnt break out the number of Turkish visitors on its website.

The Trump administrations visa ban puts Turkey in the same boat as Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen, which have all had U.S. travel restrictions imposed over terrorism concerns.

"Turkey, which has been in the western camp since the 1940s, is lumped together with these countries?" said Yurtbilir. "This is the lowest level in Turkish-U.S. relations."

With assistance by Garfield Clinton Reynolds, Ros Krasny, Bernie Kohn, David Tweed, Kerim Karakaya, Taylan Bilgic, Daniel Ten Kate, and Ruth Pollard

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Erdogan's Escalating Feud With U.S. Hammers Turkish Markets ...

Turkey will never be a member of the European Union as long as it is governed by its current president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel has said.

His remarks in an interview with newspaper Bild are likely to further inflame relations between the two Natoallies after Mr Erdogan urged German Turks to boycott Germany's main parties in next month's general election.

"It is clear that in this state, Turkey will never become a member of the EU," Mr Gabriel said.

"It's not because we don't want them but because the Turkish government and Erdogan are moving fast away from everything that Europe stands for."

EU leaders have been critical of Mr Erdogan's crackdown on opponents before and after a failed military coup against him in July last year.

Accession talks have ground to a virtual halt though Turkey remains a candidate for membership.

Turkey's Western allies fear that sweeping new powers Mr Erdogan won in a tightly fought referendum in April are pushing Turkey away from democratic values.

Turkey's president Recep Erdogan wins referendum to greatly expand powers

Mr Erdogan says both the crackdown and the increased presidential powers are needed to help tackle serious challenges to Turkey's security both at home and beyond its borders.

At a highpoint in tensions earlier this year, Mr Erdogan angered Germany, home to threemillion Turks, about half of whom can vote in the election on 24 September,by accusing German authorities of Nazi-like behaviour.

Relations between the two countries have also been strained by Turkey's arrest of a Turkish-German journalist and a German human rights activist.

Reuters

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Germany warns Turkey it will never join EU while Erdogan remains in charge - The Independent

JAKARTA

A Facebook page set up by a group of Indonesian supporters of Turkeys president has reached more than 250,000 followers.

The Sahabat Erdogan, or Friend of Erdogan, account was opened in 2014 by four fans of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

We opened this account in order to deliver straight information to Indonesia about Erdogan, fan Gibraltar Hilal said.

There has been some inaccurate news, forwarded by foreign news agencies, against Turkey and Erdogan in our country. We intend to prevent these.

On Thursday, the page had 253,149 followers and 249,472 likes. It carries photographs of the president and Turkish scenes as well as news articles about the country.

Turkey stands by Indonesia during all its hard times and bilateral relations date back to Ottoman era, Hilal added.

The most followed person on Facebook is Real Madrid footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, with more than 120 million followers. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has more than 95 million.

Reporting by Adem Salvarcioglu and Mahmut Atanur; Writing byAhmet Furkan Mercan

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Indonesian Facebook page for Erdogan reaches 250000 - Anadolu Agency

Israel is concerned about the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoans recent visit to Jordan where he met King Abdullah II.

Asaf Ghibour, an Israeli expert in Arab affairs, told NRG that Israeli officials do not wish to see Erdoan in Amman because of his recent attempts to establish ties with Iran.

Erdoans visit to Amman comes after he called on Arab countries to unite in order to protect Jerusalem, the holy city for Muslims.

Tension between Jordan and Israel has mounted over recent weeks after an Israeli official shot two Jordanians at the Israeli embassy. A petition signed by members of the Jordanian parliament called on the Israeli ambassador to be expelled from the country and has helped the Turkish-Jordanian rapprochement.

Read more: Israels anger with Turkey

Ghibour said that discussions between Erdoan and Abdullah II focused on tensions in the Middle East, including the crisis in Syria and the current situation in Jerusalem.

Prior to his departure from Ankara, Erdoan said that the Arab countries must work on establishing a united front to protect Jerusalem. His anti-Israel statements still colour his speeches and he often denounces Israeli policy in the holy city.

Ghibour stated that Erdoans visit to Jordan, which is the first since he became Turkish President, has a clear regional significance, especially as it coincided with Turkeys attempts to strengthen its relations with Iran.

He said that the Jordan and Turkey are concerned with what might happen in Syria in the coming days and how the two countries can protect their borders amidst the seven-year war.

Jordan and Turkey also share common concerns that relate to the successive economic crises the two countries have encountered because of the thousands of Syrian refugees that have sought refuge there. He pointed out that armed militias close to Daesh pose security risks to both countries.

An official ceremony held by Royal Jordanian Honor Guards due to President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogans arrival at Raghadan Palace in Amman, Jordan on 21 August, 2017 [Okan zer/Anadolu Agency]

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Erdogan's visit to Jordan stirs Israeli concerns - Middle East Monitor