Turkish Business Circles Receive Threats from the US: Reason Revealed

Turkish business circles are receiving threats from the United States regarding trade with Russia. This was reported by Turkish media, citing a senior source from the Council of Foreign Economic Relations. The information is conveyed by RIA Novosti.

The US Department of the Treasury had previously announced that Deputy Secretary Brian Nelson would visit Turkey to discuss the sanctions regime against Russia. According to Bloomberg, the US is particularly concerned that Turkey is refusing to join the American sanctions against Russian ships and airlines, threatening Turkish companies with secondary sanctions.

This marks Nelson's second visit to Turkey, who oversees the "Fight Against Terrorism and Financial Intelligence" department within the Treasury. A diplomatic source in Ankara told RIA Novosti that the Turkish side is noticing a series of provocative materials in various media regarding sanctions against Russia and does not accept the threatening tone.

"The US is writing a huge letter, and at the bottom it says: ‘follow these rules.’ This is a threat. They write that nothing will happen to you today, but you never know what will happen in the future. It is said that if you use our systems, our software, our products, if you trade with me, we will catch you," the publication quotes the source.

Earlier, during a press conference with Antony Blinken, Turkey's then-Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu stated that Ankara does not join unilateral sanctions against Russia, while also not allowing circumventions. Previously, İbrahim Kalın, the former official representative of the Turkish President and now head of the National Intelligence Organization, stated that if Turkey imposes sanctions against Russia, they would primarily be targeting Ankara itself.