ANKARA: Turkey’s trade minister on Tuesday said US plans to end the preferential trade status granted to Turkey conflicted with the NATO allies’ push to increase commercial exchanges.
“This decision contradicts our mutual objective of reaching bilateral trade volume of $75 billion... The decision will also negatively affect US small and medium-sized enterprises and manufacturers,” Ruhsar Pekcan said on Twitter.
“We still would like to pursue our target of increasing our bilateral trade with the US who we see as our strategic partner, without losing any momentum,” she said.
The United States Trade Representative’s Office said Monday that Washington intended to end “India’s and Turkey’s designations as beneficiary developing countries under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program.”
The office made the decision at US President Donald Trump’s direction, saying that it was because the countries no longer complied with eligibility criteria.
Under the GSP program, some products may enter the US duty-free if countries meet criteria which include offering the US “equitable” market access.
Turkey was made a GSP beneficiary in 1975 and the office said Turkey had shown a “higher level of economic development” meaning that it could be “graduated” from the program.
Relations between the US and Turkey have been strained, especially following the 2016 failed coup and Washington’s support for a Syrian Kurdish militia viewed by Ankara as a “terrorist offshoot” of Kurdish insurgents within its borders.
Last summer ties worsened over the detention of an American pastor, during which Trump doubled tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum, and sanctioned two senior Turkish officials. Pastor Andrew Brunson was later released and relations improved.
Turkey lambasts US move to end special trade status
Turkey lambasts US move to end special trade status
- The US Trade Representative’s Office said that Washington intended to end ‘India’s and Turkey’s designations as beneficiary developing countries’
- Relations between the US and Turkey have been strained, especially following the 2016 failed coup and Washington’s support for a Syrian Kurdish militia
Egypt–Saudi power link set to boost regional energy integration, minister says
RIYADH: Electricity interconnection projects between Egypt and Saudi Arabia will strengthen regional energy cooperation and economic integration, Egypt’s minister of electricity and renewable energy said during a visit to a key cross-border power facility.
Mahmoud Esmat made the remarks while inspecting the Egypt–Saudi electricity interconnection station linking the two countries’ power grids, where he reviewed construction progress and equipment testing ahead of trial operations expected in the coming weeks, according to a statement from the Egyptian State Information Service.
The project is described as the first of its kind in the Middle East in terms of scale, manufacturing technology, operation, and application in grid interconnection lines.
The initiative supports the state’s broader vision to implement sustainable solutions aimed at ensuring the stability of the national unified grid and enhancing the reliability and quality of electricity supply.
It also aligns with Egypt’s allocation of 136.3 billion Egyptian pounds ($2.8 billion) to the electricity and renewable energy sector in its 2025–26 development plan, nearly double the 72.6 billion pounds set aside the previous year.
The plan focuses on diversifying energy sources, expanding renewable capacity, and strengthening the national grid to meet rising demand.
The statement said: “The minister toured the station’s departments and control and operation center, following up on the completion of testing for all equipment and components in preparation for launching operations and synchronizing the project with the unified power grids of Egypt and Saudi Arabia in the coming weeks.”
It added: “Esmat reviewed the implementation rate of the project and testing works, as well as the project’s timeline. He highlighted finalization of operational tests at the Badr transformer station and the Sakakin Taba 2 station, as well as the 500 kilovolts overhead transmission line extending approximately 320 km.”
The minister said the project forms part of broader efforts to build an integrated power network connecting the two countries, facilitating efficient and flexible electricity exchange and laying the groundwork for a unified Arab electricity market.
He added that the initiative reflects a clear vision and comprehensive strategy to strengthen the efficiency of the energy system while delivering both immediate and long-term solutions to safeguard grid stability and enhance service quality.
