ANKARA, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- The release of an American pastor detained in Turkey, a key figure in bilateral rows, would ease tensions, but a rocky path still lies ahead for a full recovery of the strained relations.
After two years of detention, evangelical pastor Andrew Brunson was sentenced on Friday by a court to jail for three years and 45 days over terror charges, but was then set free due to the time he had served.
The decision to free the 50-year-old long-time resident in Turkey's western province of Izmir would eased a diplomatic standoff between Ankara and Washington for the past year that has caused a serious economic and currency turmoil in Turkey.
It also seems to be the result of a breakthrough in a "silent diplomacy" recently intensified between officials from both sides on the issue of releasing Brunson but also several other U.S. citizens and local consular staff arrested like Brunson in the wake of the failed coup in 2016.
The case fueled a crisis between the NATO allies. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, contending the terror-related charges against the pastor were politically motivated, slapped tariffs and sanctions on Turkey.
Ankara for its part imposed trade measures against the United States while seeking to exchange Brunson for the Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is accused of orchestrating the botched coup.
U.S. administration officials have said the release of Brunson and other U.S. nationals detained in Turkey after the coup attempt would be a significant step towards a reconciliation between Ankara and Washington.
"If he's set free, an important hurdle for the return to a normalization of our relations will be lifted. It will be an important step towards the reopening of communication ways for other outstanding issues between our two countries," told Xinhua a U.S. source before Friday's hearing.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in Washington that "it is the right thing for them to do, it is the humanitarian thing for Turkey to do," adding that the release of Brunson would be "an important step" for U.S.-Turkish relations.
While the Brunson case is now solved, there are still several sore points between the NATO partners such as their differences regarding the Syrian war and the case of Fethullah Gulen that Ankara wants extradited.
Most analysts agree that the Brunson case was a test for bilateral ties and when this impediment is surmounted, Turkey and the United States will ultimately try to restore their damaged partnership, to both countries benefit.
"His release will definitely infuse a breath of fresh air in bilateral relations and have a positive effect," said political analyst and journalist Serkan Demirtas to Xinhua.
"It will open the way for other issues to be discussed and possibly resolved in a spirit of dialogue like what it was before the Brunson crisis," Demirtas said, adding communication channels shut down by the American side on political, military and financial matters are now expected to be reopened.
However, this expert also believes that a speedy recovery for the "strategic partnership" also appears unlikely because of the backlog of serious issues that have yet to be resolved.
Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Program at the Washington Institute, hailed Brunson's release as a "big deal for U.S.-Turkey relations," which will allow both countries to tackle bilateral issues without the emotional dimension of the pastor's arrest.
Meanwhile, Unal Cevikoz, a former ambassador and vice president of the main opposition People's Republican Party, argued that the unusual way the U.S. preacher was released amid reports of a Turkish-U.S. deal "has consolidated the impression that the Turkish justice is not independent."
"Therefore, the U.S. will continue to impose sanctions on Turkey to solve other main issues," he warned on his Twitter account.
