Turkey calls for better relations with US after release of pastor

Turkey expects the United States to lift the sanctions it has imposed on it after the release of U.S. evangelical Christian pastor Andrew Brunson, the spokesman for President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.

Ties between Ankara and Washington have been strained over a host of issues, including Brunson's detention, and the United States has imposed sanctions and tariffs on Ankara, prompting a currency crisis in Turkey that saw the lira currency plunge more than 40 per cent this year.

Brunson was released on Oct. 12 after being held in prison and house arrest for some two years while being tried on terrorism charges, which he has denied.