Turkey to file complaint against the US tariff policy at WTO – Minister says

On Thursday, August 16, Turkish Trade Minister declared that Turkey would challenge the recent Washington’s decision of imposing higher metal tariffs on imports at the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Turkey would not be the first country to file a WTO complaint against the US trade practices. Others, like Canada, China, the European Union, and Russia had challenged the import tariffs at the WTO earlier.

As reported by the Anadolu news agency, "Turkey has invited the United States to come in front of a panel of arbitrators at the World Trade Organization. The United States has already received this invitation. Therefore, we have launched a dispute settlement process within the framework of the WTO."

Turkey has been in conflict with the United States since March when the Trump administration initially declared to introduce 10 per cent and 25 per cent duties on imported aluminium and steel on all its trade partners, including Turkey. Ankara then called the tariffs unacceptable and pledged to take retaliatory measures.

Later on, on August 10, the US President again doubled the previously imposed tariffs on Turkish aluminium and steel to 20 per cent and 50 per cent, respectively, resulting in lira to bleed value by about 20 per cent.

Earlier this week, Ankara doubled import duties on 22 US goods worth some $533 million.