Russia extends Turkish boycott

The friendship between Turkey and Russia appears to be cooling off again. In a response to a Turkish measure which put Russian exporters at a disadvantage, Russia responded with the announcement that the sanctions against Turkey will remain in effect. This was reported by Russian news website RT.com.

Last week, Turkey would have implemented substantial import levies on Russian grain and corn. Ankara denies this allegation from Russia. According to Russia, the high tariffs (up to 130%) were implemented because Russia was taken from the list of countries for which the 0-tariff is in effect. Because of those higher import levies, Russian exporters are facing problems. Turkey is the second largest market for Russian grain, behind Egypt.

Russia has linked this step from Turkey to the lifting of the sanctions on Turkish fruit and vegetables. “The complete or partial lifting of restrictions on Turkish fruit and vegetables for the Russian market can only be possible if the Turkish counter-sanctions are lifted,” according to a Russian spokesperson. The Russian sanctions are in effect for, among other products, tomatoes, grapes, cucumbers, apples, pears and strawberries.