Trump’s Trade Step Shows U.S. Can Hit Turkey Where It Hurts

Source:Bloomberg Date:06Mar2019

President Donald Trump’s decision to strip some Turkish exporters of their preferential trade status is taken from a playbook that’s been effective in the past.

American officials are pressing Ankara to abandon its longstanding agreement to buy a Russian air defense system. The last time Washington ratcheted up pressure on its NATO ally to force it to yield on a key issue — and release a long-held American pastor — it drove the Turkish economy to the brink of collapse, and it’s not fully recovered.

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Two State Department officials have paid a visit to Ankara for talks on United States-Turkey cooperation in Syria and the latter’s decision to buy the Russian S-400 air defense systems.

Deputy Assistant Secretary Matthew Palmer and James Jeffrey, the U.S. Special Envoy for Syria will hold talks in Ankara.