Turkey calls on US to lift trade barriers

Washington, Ankara set ambitious goal of quadrupling trade to $100b annually

ISTANBUL: Turkey asked the United States to lift trade barriers between the two countries during talks on Saturday aimed at sharply increasing bilateral commerce, Turkey’s trade minister said.

Washington and Ankara have set an ambitious goal of quadrupling their trade to $100 billion a year, despite the prospect of US sanctions over Turkey’s recent purchase of Russian missile defence systems.

Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan said she expressed Turkey’s “clear expectation” to US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross over the removal of “certain barriers and policies as implemented by the US administration that constitute (an) obstacle to enhancing our bilateral trade.”

The White House said in May it was ending a preferential trade agreement with Turkey, saying Turkey’s level of economic development meant it was no longer eligible for the support. Pekcan said she discussed increasing Turkish exports in the civil aviation, automotive, jewellery, furniture, textiles and clothing sectors.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 8^th, 2019.

Like Business on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.