Turkish exporters began suffering delays late last month at Russian border crossings, apparently in retaliation for Ankara allowing US Navy ships to transit the Bosporus to provide aid to Georgia after Moscow’s military action there. Tüzmen said, according to the Anatolia news agency, that it was unacceptable for Russia to make it difficult for Turkish exports to enter the Russian market. “We have not yet been able to solve the difficulty with Russia. Our Deputy Prime Minister Hayati Yazıcı had a meeting with the Russian customs chairman [to solve the problem] in İstanbul,” Tüzmen said.
“We hope the process with Russia will end in a way so as to benefit Turkish exporters,” he said. Russia has rejected Turkish charges that it was discriminating against Turkey. Russia is Turkey’s largest trade partner, with $38 billion in mutual trade seen for this year, and a Turkish business group said Turkish exporters could lose $3 billion if the dispute is not ended soon.
Moscow also supplies two-thirds of Ankara’s natural gas needs and has been angered by what it calls a NATO buildup in the Black Sea, accessed via the Turkish-controlled strait. Russia says long inspections of trucks from Turkey are due to a new customs law, but analysts say Moscow may be flexing its economic muscle to put pressure on Ankara. Turkey, a close US ally which aspires to join the European Union, has been forced to walk a fine line between its loyalties to NATO and its large financial and energy interests in Russia. The international community has condemned Russia’s campaign in Georgia and its subsequent recognition of Georgian breakaway regions South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states. Turkey has refrained from strong condemnations of Russia.
On another front, Tüzmen said Luxembourg, one of the world’s most important finance and service sector centers, may contribute to Turkey in terms of foreign capital. Tüzmen met with Luxembourg Economy and Foreign Trade Minister Jeannot Krecke in Ankara on Monday. Speaking at the meeting, Tüzmen said Luxembourg was a small country but that its national income per capita was $110,000 and that Turkey’s foreign trade volume with Luxembourg stood at 200 million euros.
He said Turkish exports to Luxembourg amounted to 55 million euros and that this was the first time a Luxembourg minister of economy and foreign trade as well as a delegation of businessmen and representatives of the finance, logistics and advertising sectors were visiting Turkey. Krecke said Luxembourg had become an important center of logistics after developing its services, banking, chemicals and automotive sectors. He said Turkey was an important partner for foreign trade and investment and that the Luxembourg delegation had come to Turkey to see what opportunities are available.
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