Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced the cancellation of all tariffs imposed in 2018 on American imports, ranging from passenger cars to fruit, ahead of his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on September 25.
The decision, published in Turkey’s Official Gazette, is seen as a conciliatory gesture aimed at improving strained ties with Washington and at smoothing the way for discussions during Erdogan’s visit to the United States.
A Meeting Framed by Trade and Defense
Erdogan is expected in New York this week to attend the United Nations General Assembly before meeting Trump on Thursday. The U.S. president recently set a positive tone for the encounter, saying he anticipates the signing of new trade and defense agreements during Erdogan’s visit.
A Strategic Concession
Despite Washington raising its tariff rate on Turkish imports to 15% in August, Ankara has refrained from retaliating and is now rolling back its earlier countermeasures.
“The additional financial obligations imposed on certain U.S.-origin imports have been terminated,” Turkey’s Ministry of Trade said, citing progress in negotiations with Washington. The ministry emphasized Ankara’s commitment to reaching the existing target of 100 billion dollars in annual bilateral trade, far above last year’s 30 billion dollars figure.
Mixed Signals on Tariff Policy
At the same time, Turkey announced on Monday that it was imposing new tariffs of 25% to 30% on passenger car imports, with exemptions for the European Union and countries with free trade agreements with Ankara.
The latest developments come just days after a discreet visit to Turkey by Donald Trump Jr.’s eldest son and a group of U.S. business leaders, fueling speculation about deepening business ties.
They also follow reports that Ankara is considering removing its Russian-made S-400 missile systems, a move that could pave the way for Turkey’s reentry into the U.S.-led F-35 fighter jet program—a topic Trump himself mentioned when confirming his upcoming meeting with Erdogan.
