Erdogan says crash of lira ‘political plot’ against Turkey

Istanbul (AFP) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday slammed the crash of the lira amid a widening spat with the United States as a “political plot” and said his country would instead seek new markets and new allies. 

“The aim of the operation is to make Turkey surrender in all areas from finance to politics. We are once again facing a political, underhand plot. With God’s permission we will overcome this,” Erdogan told his party members in the Black Sea city of Trabzon. 

Erdogan said if the United States sacrificed its relations with Turkey, his country would answer by seeking “new markets, new partnerships and new allies.”