Russian officials have suggested they would ease the ongoing tension with Turkey by announcing that Moscow would not broaden the scope of sanctions against Turkey and would be acceptıng some Turkish goods which have been sitting in Russian customs this week. Meanwhile, Turkey has focused on finding trade alternatives to offset the potential outcomes of the sanctions.
Turkey is gearing up to implement backup plans in the face of Russia's decision to stop importing fresh fruits and vegetables from Turkey, a sanction which will go into full effect on Jan. 1. Food, Agriculture and Livestock Minister Faruk Çelik met with executive board members of the Mediterranean Exporters Association (AKİB) to discuss alternative markets for Turkish imports. Reportedly, AKİB executive members proposed that Turkey should head toward alternative markets and that the government should support exporters to this end. They also requested that the government launch subventions to compensate for the losses experienced in the fresh fruits and vegetables sector.
Mediterranean Chemicals and Chemical Products Exporters' Association President Uğur Ateş, said that Iraq, Iran and Syria will be good alternative markets during the initial stages of the changes while African countries and Azerbaijan might also be considered as alternatives in the long run. As exporters continue to uphold the idea of "consolidating the Iraqi market," a delegation is likely to be sent to the country in the upcoming days.
Meanwhile, the Russian Agriculture Ministry has announced that the list of food imports to be banned would not be expanded and that there are no plans to put a restriction on the export of cereals. The import prohibition, which will take effect on Jan. 1, will include tomatoes, onions, zucchini, cauliflower, oranges, mandarins, grapes, apples, peaches, apricots, nectarines, pears and plums.
The minister of Russian Labor and Social Affairs, Maxim Topilin, said the ban on the employment of new staff holding Turkish citizenship, which came into effect on Dec. 1, would not affect current employers. According to Topilin, certain companies selected by Moscow will be allowed to recruit new, qualified staff from Turkey.
Russia starts to accept Turkish goods
It has been reported that Russia has started to accept various Turkish goods such as lemons, oranges, mandarins and grapefruit, which is considered by exporters and bureaucrats to be a sign that Russia is softening its stance on its decision to stop importing goods from Turkey. Four tons of goods seized at Russian customs were eventually redirected to Romania, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus. Currently, there are 140,000 tons of goods in Turkey which the country had prepared to send to Russia. There are plans to send some of these goods to domestic markets while others will be sent to different countries.
160,000 tons of goods, particularly perishable ones which have been taken out of Russia, will be distributed to Syrian refugees, students and military barracks.
Meanwhile, the Central Bank of Russia has announced that sanctions on Turkey will increase inflation in the country between 0.2 and 0.4 points by the beginning of the year and in the first few months of 2016.
