Israeli claims to ease Ankara’s trade ban are “fantasy”, stresses Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat.
In more detail, he rejected Israeli claims about the easing of Turkey’s trade ban on Israel, calling them “absolutely imaginary and disconnected from reality”.
Turkey cuts all trade relations with Israel – “This is how a dictator behaves” Tel Aviv responds
In a May 9 social media post, Bolat stressed that Turkey would maintain the trade ban until a lasting ceasefire was reached in Gauze and ensure humanitarian aid to the war-torn Palestinian enclave.
This response follows allegations by Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “He changed his stance and lifted several trade restrictions on Israel.”
An Israeli financial newspaper also stated that the Turkish Ministry of Commerce sent letters to local construction factories informing them that they had received temporary permission to continue exporting to Israel.
First, limiting exports to Israel of certain product categories on April 9Ankara has escalated to a complete standstill of trade between the two countries until May 2, promising to continue applying the measures until the Israeli government allows humanitarian aid to flow to the war-torn Gaza Strip.
According to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute, Turkey exported 5.43 billion dollars worth of products to Israel in 2023, a decrease of US$7.03 billion in 2022 and US$6.36 billion in 2021.
“The volume of trade between us amounted to 9.5 billion dollars. Ignoring this volume of trade, we close this door,” Erdogan said on May 3.