A U.S. dollar banknote is seen through a magnifying lens on top of 50 Turkish lira banknotes in this picture illustration.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The row with Washington over an American evangelical Christian pastor detained in Turkey on terrorism charges has accelerated losses in the lira, which is down about 38 per cent against the dollar this year.
Qatar pledges $15 billion to Turkey as lira rallies
At 0509 GMT, the lira stood at 6.2000 against the dollar, easing from a close of 6.1200 on Monday, when it weakened to near 6.3 before rebounding in its first day of trade after a week-long holiday.
After meeting his French counterpart in Paris, Turkey's Minister of Treasury and Finance Albayark highlighted Ankara’s push for better ties with Europe and took aim at the United States, saying U.S. sanctions could ultimately aggravate the region’s terrorism and refugee crises.
U.S. President Donald Trump this month authorised a doubling of duties on aluminium and steel imported from Turkey, triggering retaliatory measures from Ankara.
Imran backs Turkey in row with US
Investors are also worried by a US Treasury investigation into state-owned Turkish lender Halkbank, which could face a potentially hefty fine over allegations of busting sanctions on Iran. The bank has said all its transactions were legal.
Turkey and the United States are also at odds over their diverging interests in Syria and US objections to Ankara’s plan to buy Russian defence systems.
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