Turkey will not cut off trade ties to Iran at behest of others, minister says

Ankara – Turkey will not cut off trade ties with Iran at the behest of other countries, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday, after the United States this week told countries to cut all imports of Iranian oil from November.

FILE PHOTO – Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu attends a joint news conference with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing, China June 15, 2018. REUTERS/Jason Lee

Cavusoglu made the comment in an interview with broadcaster NTV. Turkey is dependent on imports for almost all of its energy needs. President Tayyip Erdogan last year said Turkey was looking to raise the volume of its annual trade with Iran to $30 billion, from $10 billion.

U.S. President Donald Trump has ramped up pressure on its allies to cut off funding to Iran.

REUTERS

Irfan Ansari

The Kootneeti Team - Middle East Monitor