Turkey has lifted tariffs on numerous US imports in an apparent goodwill gesture days before President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's scheduled meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday. The move, announced in Turkey's Official Gazette on Monday, reverses levies imposed in 2018 during a diplomatic crisis between the two NATO allies.
According to Al Monitor, the tariff removal affects 33 product categories, including passenger cars, fruit, rice, cosmetics, alcoholic beverages, solid fuels, and chemical products. The 2018 measures had doubled tariffs on passenger vehicles to 120%, alcoholic drinks to 140%, and tobacco to 60%, among other increases implemented as retaliation against US sanctions.
The Turkish Trade Ministry stated the decision aims to strengthen economic ties with Washington and boost bilateral trade to $100 billion annually—a target established in 2019. The current trade between the nations stands at approximately $32.1 billion, with Turkey exporting $16.7 billion and importing $15.4 billion in goods in the last year.
The original tariffs stemmed from the 2018 detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson, whom Turkey accused of terrorism links. The crisis triggered reciprocal sanctions and tariffs, causing the Turkish lira to plummet to record lows against the dollar. Though Brunson was released in October 2018, the tariffs remained in place until now.
Thursday's White House meeting marks Erdogan's first invitation since Trump returned to office in January. Trump indicated on Truth Social that he expects trade and military agreements, including "large-scale purchase of Boeing aircraft, a major F-16 Deal, and a continuation of the F-35 talks."
Erdogan seeks a resolution on several key issues, including ending US sanctions on Turkey's defense industry, reentry into the F-35 program after Turkey's 2019 expulsion for purchasing Russian S-400 systems, and terminating the US partnership with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
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