Turkey announced on Monday that it has terminated retaliatory tariffs imposed in 2018 on a range of U.S. imports, including passenger cars, fruit, rice, tobacco, alcoholic beverages, solid fuels, and chemical products. The decision was published in Turkey's Official Gazette ahead of President Tayyip Erdogan's visit to the United States, where he is scheduled to meet U.S. President Donald Trump.
The tariffs were originally introduced in response to U.S. measures on steel and aluminium imports during Trump's first term. Turkey's trade ministry said: "The additional financial obligations imposed on imports of certain U.S.-origin products have been terminated," citing progress in talks with Washington.
Trump, who has returned to the White House this year, has continued to employ tariffs to reshape trade. In August, the U.S. set tariffs of 15 per cent on Turkish imports. Ankara has not retaliated.
The Turkish ministry said it remains focused on reaching the bilateral trade target of US$100 billion annually. Current trade volumes between the two countries are around US$30 billion. "We will continue to develop policies to increase trade relations for the benefit of both parties, diversify them by taking into account competitive conditions, and develop new areas of cooperation," the ministry added.
Turkey also announced a new customs duty of 25 to 30 per cent on passenger car imports, excluding vehicles from the European Union and countries with which Turkey has free trade agreements.
Source: Reuters