Turkey stopped trade with Israel on Thursday, Bloomberg reported, citing information from government circles in Turkey. It was reported that all exports and imports were suspended. Israel Katz, the head of Israeli diplomacy, referring to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said that “this is the behavior of a dictator who disregards the interests of the Turkish people.”
Minister of Foreign Affairs Israel Israel Katz stated that Ankara began to block Israeli imports and exports in Turkish ports in parallel. On the X website, he wrote about Recep Tayyp Erdogan that “this is the behavior of a dictator who disregards the interests of the Turkish nation and businessmen and ignores international trade agreements.” Israel i Turkey have been linked by free trade agreements since the mid-1990s.
It is unclear whether Turkey's move is also related to blocking the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, through which Israel imports Azerbaijani oil.
Katz said he had instructed subordinate officials to immediately work on “creating alternatives to trade with Turkey, focusing on local production and imports from other countries.”
“Israel will emerge with a strong and bold economy,” Katz said. “We win and they lose,” he added.
In April, the Times of Israel website recalled, Turkey announced restrictions on trade with Israel in response to the war waged by Israel against the terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The restrictions applied to 54 products, including cement, steel, aluminum and iron structures.
The value of trade between the two countries in 2023 was USD 6.8 billion.
Main photo source: Thaier Al-Sudani/PAP/EPA