Skip to main content

Turkey could restart Israel trade if peace permanent, trade body says

1 min Mena Today

Turkey could restart trade with Israel "if peace is permanent", Nail Olpak, head of the Turkish Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), said on Tuesday.

Turkey severed trade with Israel last year over its war in Gaza © Mena Today 

Turkey severed trade with Israel last year over its war in Gaza © Mena Today 

Turkey could restart trade with Israel "if peace is permanent", Nail Olpak, head of the Turkish Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), said on Tuesday.

Turkey severed trade with Israel last year over its war in Gaza with the Palestinian militant group Hamas. This week Israel and Hamas began carrying out a complex ceasefire deal.

Answering reporters' questions in Istanbul, Olpak also said DEIK has heard reports of payment issues for goods exported to Russia via Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, without elaborating.

Western countries imposed record sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022. Turkish exporters to Russia have since experienced some issues receiving payments.

Olpak also said the board conveyed a request to Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek to reduce or remove the obligation for exporters to sell 30% of foreign currency revenues to the central bank.

In June last year, the central bank lowered the ratio of foreign exchange revenues that exporters are required to sell to it to 30% from 40%, as its reserves continued to rise.

Reporting by Ebru Tuncay

Related

Israel

Eisenkot wants a “wide” coalition, but who will join?

Former Israeli military chief Gadi Eisenkot said on Monday he will work to form a wide government as quickly as possible, but his path to power was uncertain following a deadlocked election that failed to dislodge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

COP31

Climate talks open in Turkey with plea for urgency

Leaders of the COP31 climate summit urged the world to accelerate the fight against global warming as rising temperatures and an increasing number of climate-driven disasters threaten lives and the global economy, as the annual meeting began in Turkey on Monday.

Iraq

US wants Iraq-Iran border shut

The US Treasury has asked Iraq to close all border crossings with Iran except for two as part of Washington's policy of increasing economic pressure on Tehran, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said in an interview with Al Jazeera.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Mena banner 4

To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.

  • Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.