Turkish business leader blasts threats by Trump, Pence

A top Turkish business leader on Tuesday blasted recent threats against Turkey made by the U.S. administration.

Turkish businesspeople disapprove of the remarks of U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, said Erol Bilecik, chair of the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TUSIAD), while visiting Parliament Speaker Binali Yıldırım.

"We can never approve of the remarks of Pence and Trump, especially over social media," Bilecik told reporters.

He added that the remarks were "not part of a solution but the issue."

Bilecik called on the two countries to make statements "with high diplomacy and aim for a solution."

Relations between the countries soured after Trump and Pence threatened on Twitter to impose sanctions on Turkey over American pastor Andrew Craig Brunson, who faces terrorism-related charges.

Brunson’s charges include spying for the PKK -- listed as a terrorist group by both the U.S. and Turkey -- and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), the group behind the defeated coup attempt of July 2016.