Türkiye: President Erdogan calls on the US to lift sanctions on various sectors
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called for lifting the US sanctions blocking some defence purchases by his country, along with other “unilateral” measures that hinder Turkey-US trade volume.
The US imposed sanctions on Turkey as a result of a lack of consensus on particular issues, including Gaza. The measures include “additional customs duties in the iron, steel, and aluminium sectors, along with investigations and CAATSA sanctions.”
On the defence sector, a deal was approved over Turkey’s procuring 40 Block-70 F-16 fighter jets and 79 modernisation kits from the US, following the 2019 CAATSA sanctions, which resulted in Turkey’s removal from the F-35 fighter jet program, thereby escalating tensions and complicating their bilateral relationship.
“We hope that we have opened a new page with the F-16 (fighter jet) modernisation project and expect the export barriers in this area to be permanently removed,” said President Erdogan during a meeting in New York with American and Turkish businesspeople at the 15th Turkey Investment Conference hosted by the Turkey-US Business Council (TAİK).
During the meeting, Erdogan stated that the United States has been Turkey’s second-largest export market and fifth-largest source of imports for the past two years, with bilateral trade exceeding $30 billion in 2023.
He emphasised that, provided sanctions are lifted, both countries can achieve their common goal of $100 billion in trade volume.
