Turkish Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan
Turkey invited the U.S. to a panel in the World Trade Organization (WTO) about doubling tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, Turkish Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a working dinner on the sidelines of the 10th Ambassadors’ Conference in capital Ankara, Pekcan said that Turkey's invitation was at 17.40 the local time in Turkey (1440GMT) and it was received by the U.S.
The move came after U.S. President Donald Trump last week ramped up his attack on Turkey by doubling U.S. tariffs on Turkish aluminum and steel imports to 20 percent and 50 percent, respectively.
Pekcan said: "...We have announced our sanctions worth $533 million tariffs on 22 products as the reciprocity principle."
"It was important to do it because the WTO goes to meetings twice per month, if we couldn't complete it, we will wait more 15 days."
Qatari Ambassador to Turkey Salem bin Mubarak Al Shafi said his country would continue supporting Turkey following recently-imposed U.S. sanctions on the country.“The State of Qatar is always proactive in supporting its Turkish brothers,” Al Shafi told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday.Qatar, he said, would continue supporting Turkey, as it did during the defeated coup attempt in mid-2016.Ankara and Doha, he added, shared common points of view on a number of regional and international issues.Al Shafi went on to note that Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad’s visit to Turkey on Wednesday demonstrated the “depth of Qatar-Turkey relations”.The emir’s visit, the diplomat said, “will serve to confirm the close links between the Qatari and Turkish people and their common positions vis-à-vis the many challenges they face”.According to Al Shafi, Qataris have recently bought tens of millions of dollars’ worth of Turkish lira with a view to supporting the Turkish economy.Describing Turkey as a “strategic ally”, the ambassador added: “Our strong relations with the Republic of Turkey enjoy a special status among our people.”Turkey-U.S. relations took a nosedive last week, when Washington imposed sanctions on Turkey’s interior and justice ministers after Ankara refused to release an American pastor who faces terrorism-related charges in Turkey. Last Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump upped the ante by doubling U.S. tariffs on Turkish aluminum and steel imports. In response, Turkey raised tariffs on several U.S.-made goods, including alcohol and tobacco products and vehicles.Turkey's situation does not have economic basis: bankerTurkey standing strong against attacks: YıldırımTurkey got serious global support on US move: Mevlüt ÇavuşoğluWorld stands united with Turkey against Trump’s economic war
Qatar offers support to Turkey amid rift with US
Messages of support and solidarity with Ankara against Washington’s economic war continue to pour in from across the globe as leaders from all five continents stand united with Turkey in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and sanctions against Turkish ministers under the pretext of Ankara’s ongoing arrest of U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson. Message of support from Indonesia and QatarThe Indonesian Council of Ulama on Wednesday expressed strong support for Turkey against the United States' recent economic attacks.Head of the council's external affairs committee, Muhyiddin Junaidi expressed support for Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's stance against the U.S.Stressing that the U.S. targeted Muslim countries and tried to curb Turkey's power in the region, Junaidi said that the Muslim world must use their own currency in trade among themselves against the U.S. dollar.Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani will visit Turkey in what has been deemed by observers as a “show of support” for his close ally.The emir "will discuss bilateral relations with the Turkish president and means of strengthening the existing strategic cooperation between the two countries in various fields," said a Qatar News Agency statement. Individuals from across world heed Erdoğan’s call A large number of initiatives were launched by individuals from across the world in response to President Erdoğan’s call to support the ailing lira. Afghan, Sudanese and Somali nationals residing in the Swedish capital rushed to exchange offices to convert their krona to Turkish liras to help shore up Turkey’s national currency.European bank remains committed to TurkeyThe European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on Tuesday said it “remains committed” to Turkey, following the recent volatility in Turkish lira.EBRD’s cumulative investment in Turkey has reached nearly 10.7 billion euros ($12.2 billion) with 271 projects in Turkey, according to the bank's website.The EBRD is a leading investor in Turkey which was the biggest recipient of EBRD funds last year and has offices in Istanbul, Ankara and Gaziantep.Lebanese experts praise resilience of Turkish economyTurkish finance minister to meet foreign investorsGlobal confidence about the future of Turkish economyStressing their confidence about the future of Turkish economy, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry in a statement said, “Our country will continue to invest capital and take an active part in Turkey's economy”"Azerbaijan, as always, will continue to support Turkish people and the state in all areas," it added.On Monday, Lebanese businesspeople launched a solidarity campaign for the Turkish lira by offering discounts for customers making purchases in Turkish currency.Expressing its solidarity, Pakistan reiterated its strong support for the Turkish people and nation on Monday.“The people and the government of Pakistan reiterate their strong support for the government and the people of Turkey in their quest for peace and prosperity, and as always, will continue to stand by them towards the achievement of these shared goals,” a statement by the Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said.New world currency will topple dollar: Russian deputyItaly could suffer same fateItaly's Prime Ministry Undersecretary Giancarlo Giorgetti expressed Italy’s concern and said his country could face an economic attack similar to Turkey in August. He stated that they were expecting a similar crisis by the end of August or beginning of September as market assaults were affected by small summer trading volumes.
World stands united with Turkey against Trump’s economic war