By Dilara Zengin and Sevgi Ceren Gokkoyun
ANKARA (AA) – Ankara was in touch with the U.S. over its decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, Turkey's Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci said on Thursday.
“Our contacts [with the U.S.] continue through writing, telephone and our embassy in the U.S. and by all other means, ” Zeybekci told reporters after a meeting with Sudan's Agriculture and Forests Minister Abdullatif Ahmed Mohamed Ijaimi in the capital Ankara.
In March, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on aluminium.
The minister said the tariffs on steel and aluminium were “unacceptable ” for Turkey.
He said the reasons behind Washington's decision to impose tariffs on Turkey were “wrong “.
“We have a $1.2 billion export in iron-steel sector and $1.3 billion import [from the U.S.]. There is a gap here,” Zeybekci said.
“The U.S. claims that 'While I fulfil all kinds of obligations related to the security of the world, the other countries do not spend on defense sufficiently'. This also does not bind Turkey, ” he added.
The economy minister said Ankara will get “positive ” or “negative ” results next week, but he warned that if the results were “negative “, his country would respond.
