Minister of Trade Ömer Bolat stated that they consider the US customs duties as a lesser evil situation for Turkey.

Minister of Trade Ömer Bolat made a written statement regarding the additional customs duty decision by the US.

Bolat noted that the US has set the minimum additional customs duty rate to be applied to all countries at 10%, expressing that Turkey is among the countries with the lowest additional tax rates. Bolat said, “We consider the situation where the US imposes much higher customs duty rates on many countries as a somewhat lesser evil for Turkey in terms of US imports.” He also mentioned that they will continue the trade relations with the US based on this principle in light of new developments and work towards increasing the economic relations between the two countries. Bolat emphasized that with every country that faces additional customs duties by the US, serious disruptions may occur in bilateral relations with the US as well as in their own markets and export markets. He stated that necessary dialogues have been initiated with the US in the new era, aiming for a $100 billion trade volume target. Bolat also expressed the intention to discuss the removal of the 10% additional customs duties imposed on products exported from Turkey to the US with the US Department of Commerce and the Trade Representative, given that there is a $2.4 billion surplus in favor of the US in bilateral trade between the two countries for the year 2024.