Turkey does not seek a trade war with the United States but is forced to respond to aggressive steps made by Washington, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Wednesday, adding that Ankara would discuss the issue with Germany and France
ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th August, 2018) Turkey does not seek a trade war with the United States but is forced to respond to aggressive steps made by Washington, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Wednesday, adding that Ankara would discuss the issue with Germany and France.
On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Washington of waging "economic war" against Ankara after US President Donald Trump authorized the doubling of steel and aluminum tariffs on Turkey, up to 50 and 20 percent respectively. The Turkish lira briefly fell 20 percent against the US Dollar reaching a record low amid the news. In response, Turkey imposed tariffs on a number of US goods.
"We will not leave the attempted [US] attack [on the Turkish economy] unanswered, but we are not advocates of an economic war because nobody has gained profit from sanctions � Today our president will held phone talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, tomorrow with French President Emmanuel Macron. They will discuss regional and bilateral issues as well as latest economic developments," Kalin said.
The presidential spokesman pointed out that the United States targeted with economic sanctions Russia, China, Iran, Germany and, now, Turkey due to internal political reasons.
Kalin added that the economic situation in Turkey started to improve on Tuesday due to the actions taken by the countrys government.
During his presidential campaign, Trump promised to change the countrys trade policies by resorting to protectionism. After his inauguration, the leader started to fulfill his promises, which, in addition to the tariffs, included withdrawing the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
