Tusiad, Turkey’s leading employers’ organization, announced on Tuesday that the US Treasury Department has warned Turkish companies and institutions that have commercial relations with Russia of possible sanctions.
“Tüsiad has received a letter from US Deputy Treasury Secretary Adewale Adeymo regarding the risk of sanctions against companies in Turkey that maintain their relations with individuals and institutions affected by the sanctions against Russia,” the employer’s organization said in a statement.
The letter, dated Monday and the content of which was published by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), warns that Turkish companies are at “greater risk” from “Russia’s attempts to use Turkey to evade sanctions”.
“Turkish companies cannot expect to do business with Russian-sanctioned individuals or entities and maintain ties with the United States. […]. According to the WSJ, the Treasury Department cannot expect Turkish banks to maintain ties with sanctioned Russian banks and maintain relations with world banks and have access to US dollars, in the letter sent to two Turkish employers’ organisations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced an agreement to strengthen energy and economic cooperation after meeting in Sochi, Russia, in early August.
NATO member Turkey also announced partial payment of Russian gas in rubles and that the Russian “Mir” payment system will be used by more Turkish banks.
According to official data, Turkey’s exports to Russia increased by approximately 50% in the May-July period compared to the previous year.
Quickly condemning Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Turkey preferred neutrality between the two countries and did not support the Western sanctions against Moscow.
At the moment, the Turkish authorities have not formally reacted to the letter from the Treasury Department.
source: Noticias
