Turkey retaliates with tariffs on US products
The conflict between Ankara and Washington is escalating on the trade front. Turkey has raised import tariffs on certain US products by up to 140 percent and announced a boycott on US electronic components, after the US doubled tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminium last week. What course will the relations between the two countries take?
Putin's rouble can't help Ankara
Ankara will be careful not to ruin its relations with the West entirely, Il Post comments:
“Journalist David Gauthier-Villars wrote in the Wall Street Journal that although Erdoğan has adopted a very harsh tone in recent days the Turkish government has never made a direct attack. Clearly Ankara wants to leave a back door open on the issue of US pastor Andrew Brunson. ... Moreover Erdoğan doesn't seem to have either the power or any interest in further weakening his already fragile relationships with the European countries, above all because he needs a strong currency. And despite the rapprochement with Putin's Russia, that currency cannot be the rouble.”
Trump can learn from Merkel
Last year Germany experienced the same type of problems with Turkey as the US is now having, but through diplomatic efforts it was able to secure the release of German citizens Deniz Yücel and Peter Steudtner, columnist Barçın Yinanç points out in Hürriyet Daily News:
“Obviously there is a stark contrast between the hot tempered Twitter-loving Trump and the pragmatic cool and calm Merkel. There must, however, be certain lessons to be drawn from the Turkish-German crisis management, like using the right back channels with the right messages to find face-saving exits from the multiple stalemates. If the Americans were to talk to their German and Turkish counterparts, I am sure they can get more details unknown to the public as well as some useful tips.”