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Turkey says it will not abide by renewed sanctions on Iran
By Reuters - Nov 06,2018 - Last updated at Nov 06,2018
Iranian protesters demonstrate outside the former US embassy in the Iranian capital Tehran, on November 4 (AFP photo)
ANKARA — President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday Turkey would not abide by the renewed US sanctions on Iran’s oil and shipping industries, adding that they were aimed at “unbalancing the world”.
The comments came a day after Washington reimposed sanctions on Iran, abandoning a 2015 deal between world powers and Iran over its nuclear programme. The US measures temporarily allow some major customers, including Turkey, to continue buying Iranian crude.
Speaking to reporters in parliament, the Turkish president attacked the sanctions.
“These are steps aimed at unbalancing the world. We don’t want to live in an imperialist world. These issues will be put on the table at the summit [this weekend] in Paris,” Erdogan said.
“We will absolutely not abide by such sanctions. We buy 10 billion cubic metres of natural gas. We cannot freeze our people in the cold.”
Speaking in Japan earlier on Tuesday, Turkey’s foreign minister said it would be dangerous to isolate Iran, adding that it was not easy for countries like Turkey and Japan to diversify energy supplies.
“We do not believe any result can be reached with sanctions. I think meaningful dialogue and talks are more useful than sanctions,” Mevlut Cavusoglu said.
US President Donald Trump aims to hit Iran’s economy and force it to abandon not only its nuclear ambitions and ballistic missile programme but also its support for militant proxies in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East.
Erdogan will attend a summit to commemorate the end of World War I in Paris over the weekend, where he is expected to have talks with Trump over issues including the renewed sanctions and policy in Syria.
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