Turkey announced on Monday that it has ended retaliatory tariffs imposed in 2018 on various U. S. imports, including passenger cars and fruit. This decision comes as President Tayyip Erdogan prepares to travel to the United States for the United Nations General Assembly and a meeting with U. S. President Donald Trump, where both leaders expect to finalize trade and military agreements.
The tariffs being canceled were first enacted in response to U. S. tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum imports. Although the U. S. had set a 15% tariff on Turkish goods in August, Turkey had not retaliated. Erdogan’s previous visit to Trump was in 2019, during which their relationship became strained due to issues such as the U. S. support for Kurdish fighters in Syria and Turkey’s purchase of Russian missile systems, leading to the cancellation of an F-35 fighter jet deal.
Turkey’s trade ministry stated that the tariffs were updated over time but were still partially in effect. The ministry emphasized that the cancellation of these financial obligations was due to progress in negotiations with the U. S. Turkey aims to achieve $100 billion in annual trade with the U. S., although last year’s trade volume stood at about $30 billion. Additionally, Turkey imposed a 25% to 30% customs duty on passenger car imports, excluding those from the EU and nations with free trade agreements.
With information from Reuters