Türkiye lifts some tariffs on U.S. imports ahead of Erdogan-Trump meeting
Türkiye announced on Monday that it has ended certain retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports imposed in 2018, including goods such as passenger cars, fruit, rice, tobacco, alcoholic beverages, solid fuels, and chemical products. The move comes as President Tayyip Erdogan prepares to meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, following his attendance at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The tariffs had originally been imposed in response to U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs during Trump’s first term. Turkiye’s Trade Ministry said the cancellation reflects progress in bilateral negotiations and signals a warming in economic ties, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Trump, who returned to the White House earlier this year, has emphasized that he expects trade and military agreements to be reached during Erdogan’s visit.
While Erdogan and Trump have had a historically close personal relationship, their previous dealings were marked by tensions over U.S. support for Kurdish forces in Syria and Turkiye’s purchase of Russian S-400 missile systems, which led to Washington canceling a planned sale of F-35 fighter jets.
Turkiye’s trade ministry highlighted a long-term target of $100 billion in annual bilateral trade with the United States, up from roughly $30 billion last year. The ministry also noted plans to diversify trade and explore new areas of cooperation between the two countries.
Separately, Türkiye imposed a 25-30% customs duty on passenger car imports, excluding those from the EU and countries with free trade agreements.
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