Türkiye, US meet to discuss tariffs

ISTANBUL

A Turkish trade delegation visited the US to discuss bilateral trade relations, particularly Washington's recent reciprocity-based trade policies, the Turkish Trade Ministry announced on Monday.

The May 22 visit came after Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat's online meeting in April with US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer.

Trump signed an executive order in early April that imposed reciprocal tariffs on nations worldwide, stating that all countries will be subject to a minimum baseline tariff of 10%, with some, such as Canada, Mexico, China, and EU states, paying higher rates.

Türkiye is also among countries facing a 10% rate.

The delegation, headed by Turkish Deputy Trade Minister Murat Tuzcu, visited Washington, DC to meet with US Deputy Trade Representative Bryant Trick and other officials.

The ministry noted that the meeting focused on the global repercussions of the recent reciprocity-based trade policies of the US and the new policy steps that can be taken to advance bilateral trade in this period.

During the visit, additional steps that can be taken to continue the momentum achieved in the last decade in Türkiye-US trade relations, to achieve the $100-billion bilateral trade volume target, were discussed, the ministry said.

In the previous Donald Trump era, in 2019, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Trump agreed to increase the bilateral trade volume to $100 billion. The trade volume between the two countries was around $32 billion in 2024.

Both sides confirmed that there are mutual trade and investment opportunities between Türkiye and the US in almost every sector, as well as great potential in areas such as new technologies, innovation, manufacturing, AI, and cyber security, the ministry also noted.

"In addition, the defense and energy sectors are other critical areas where cooperation is advancing rapidly," it added.