Trump Sanctions Turkey – EU on High Alert

Reuters confirmed that because of Ankara’s military operation ‘Peace Spring’ in northeastern Syria the White House is going to impose sanctions on Turkey. These sanctions will be actively enforced in the following week.

'Washington has never contemplated entering the conflict with military power' - high-level military officials of the United States affirm about dismissing Turkish offense on the Kurdish forces. Whereas Trump has ordered the Pentagon to disperse the US army from Northern Syria.     

Steven Mnuchin, the United States Secretary of Treasury, states that the sanctions ordered by Trump against Turkey will be ‘very strict.’

According to the legislation that has ‘great consensus’ in Congress, the sanctions will include (although this information is not confirmed) tariffs on steel, also huge sanctions will be imposed against officials directly involved in the operation and their defensive sectors ties with the Western banks. Correspondingly, the sanctions will limit the USA’s weapons export to Turkey. 

Ankara Responded saying that nothing will be left unanswered, further adding that Turkey's only goal is combating terrorism.       

The German Chancellor Angela Merkel remarked after a phone call with Erdogan “Turkey must instantly cease its military operations in Northern Syria.”   

“This military operation poses a threat of displacing even more refugees, destabilizing the region wholly and primarily it poses a threat of recommencing ‘Islamic State’.” States Angela Merkel to Deutsche Welle.

Reuters has confirmed that, as Turkey’s offensive airstrikes began, 785 ISIS fighters have escaped from special war camps. Moreover, only two days ago, both Germany and France have agreed to stop exporting military weapons to Turkey. Ankara responded by a statement, that these types of policies only ‘strengthen Turkey’.     

By Beka Alexishvili