Turkey scraps tariffs on some US imports ahead of Erdogan-Trump meeting
The reversal of the levies was announced in Turkey’s Official Gazette on Monday, affecting goods such as passenger cars, fruit, rice, cosmetics, solid fuels and chemical products.
Turkey announced on Monday that it had removed some of the tariffs imposed in 2018 on US imports, seemingly as a goodwill gesture, just days before President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to meet his US counterpart, Donald Trump, at the White House.
The reversal of the levies was announced in Turkey’s Official Gazette on Monday, affecting 33 product categories including passenger cars, fruit, rice, cosmetics, alcoholic beverages, solid fuels and chemical products.
In 2018, Erdogan doubled tariffs on passenger vehicles to 120%, on alcoholic drinks to 140% and on tobacco to 60%. Tariffs were also doubled on cosmetics, rice, coal and other products.
In a statement referring to the tariffs, the Turkish Trade Ministry emphasized that they were lifted to promote trade with Washington while the two countries negotiated a new trade deal.
