Turkey and Russia to discuss boycott next week

According to Turkish media, talks about the boycott will take place between the representatives of Turkey and Russia next week, quoting the Turkish Minister of Economic Affairs, Nihat Zeybekci.

“It doesn’t matter where and when we talk about these matters to me. No country can win anything through boycotts, both are losing. One loses more than the other but both countries can win when there are no restrictions,” said the Minister in a conversation with Anadolu Agency. The air between the two countries has not yet been cleared, despite various bilateral talks. Russia is still boycotting various products, including fruit and vegetables, and Turkey is boycotting Russian grain.

Remarkable increase of exports from Belarus to Russia

According to Bloomberg, the boycott of Turkish tomatoes has major consequences for growers, and they let the product rot on the plants. “We cannot survive without the Russian market,” one website quotes a Turkish trader. “The loss percentages have never been this high.” Russia was good for the largest share of the tomato export. According to a Russian expert, Russia has two advantages in the boycott. On the one hand, it provides a negotiation advantage, on the other, it boosts domestic production.

During the first quarter of this year, Belarus exported considerably more fruit and vegetables, according to the Russian phytosanitary service Rosselkhoznadzor. During the first three months, exports of potatoes and carrots to Russia doubled compared to the same period a year earlier. The export of cabbage tripled, and the export of onions even increased by a factor of 15.

Russia doesn’t conceal the suspicion that this also involves re-export of illegal products. The Russian authorities have already pointed out the vast differences between the export and production figures of Belarus. For example, in 2015, five times more apples were exported than from other countries.

Source: belsat.eu

Sources: AA, Bloomberg