We Were Forced to Take Measures and Took the Step That Was Required: Erdoğan

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has announced the complete cessation of trade relations with Israel. He assessed the volume of goods trade between the countries at $9.5 billion.

"The events unfolding between Israel and Palestine are unacceptable. We were forced to take measures and took the step that was required. We had $9.5 billion in trade volume, and we have now halted it," Erdoğan stated.

The Turkish Ministry of Trade has announced that all import-export operations related to Israel have been fully suspended. The ministry emphasized that Ankara will "strictly and decisively implement these measures as long as the Israeli government does not allow for the continued and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz accused Erdoğan of violating international agreements following this decision.

According to data from Turkey's statistical institute, trade volume between the two countries reached $6.8 billion in 2023, with 76% attributed to Turkish exports. Just in September, Erdoğan and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had agreed to work towards raising this figure to “at least $15 billion.”