Although no official statement has been issued, Turkish ports have already started following an instruction banning exports of goods to the ports of Haifa and Ashdod in Israel, sources familiar with the matter told « Globes » . At the same time, Israeli goods arriving at Turkish ports are not allowed to unload their cargoes.
As « Globes » revealed on April 1, Turkey began unofficially restricting exports of goods to Israel. Agents working with Israeli importers told them the source of the delays was the government. Customs authorities have also been limited in their ability to impose export duties on shipments from Turkey to Israel. The Turkish computer system presented a message saying: « Error, unable to declare only for exports to Israel. »
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A week later, the Turkish Ministry of Commerce officially announced an export ban to Israel on 54 items, mostly inputs for the construction industry. The most important products included marble, cement, steel and aluminum.
In March, Turkish exports to Israel totaled $437 million, a record since the start of the war, while Turkey imported $167 million worth of goods from Israel, according to the Turkish Statistics Bureau.
It appears that the historic defeat of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party in local elections in late March led to panic and a decision to align with the anti-Israel demands of his electoral base.
About a week and a half ago, Erdogan held a joint press conference with his German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, during which he said: « We no longer have close commercial ties with Israel, it is finished ». It is possible that Erdogan means what he says. Turkish businessmen do not remember such a crisis, even at the height of the Marmara flotilla crisis in Gaza in 2010.
Published by Globes, Israel Business News – fr.globes.co.il – May 2, 2024.
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