Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Turkey Will Boycott US Electronic Goods Over Sanctions

Ankara (Turkey): Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday warned that his country would boycott electronic goods from the US after Washington imposed punitive sanctions on Ankara over the latter’s refusal to extradite a jailed American pastor. Tensions between the two countries have escalated over US pastor Andrew Brunson, who was arrested in Turkey nearly two years ago over terrorism allegations. Washington doubled tariffs on steel and aluminum imports last week following Turkey’s refusal to extradite him.

The impasse led to the depreciation of the Turkish lira, which lost 25 percent of its value in August and impacted on other countries’ currencies as well, including the Indian rupee, as investors feared the lira’s wobbles could spread to developing nations. “If (the US) has the iPhone, there’s Samsung on the other side,” Erdogan said, referring to Apple and its South Korean competitor. He added that Turkey also had its own Venus Vetsel phones, the BBC reported. (IANS)