Turkish Minister of Economy Nihat Zeybekci has sent a letter to the US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross seeking exemption from the 25 percent duty imposed on steel and aluminum imports within the scope of Section 232.
“If negotiations result in negative outcomes, it is only natural for us to have the same approach towards the US products that we determine to be subsidized or to cause unfair competition. However, it is early to express in these words. I believe Turkey should definitely be exempt from the duties when reviewed objectively. Therefore, next week is important for us. If the outcome is negative, we might have to take similar steps”, said Zeybekci at a press conference.
The Section 232 investigation was launched in April 2017 and resulted in a 25 percent duty for all steel and aluminum imports in March this year, with exemptions of Canada, Mexico, South Korea, Australia, Brazil, Argentina and the EU countries.