No approvals are issued for Turkish exports to Israel, according to the Israeli newspaper (Shutterstock)
The Israeli economic newspaper Globes quoted an unnamed informed source as saying that exports from Turkey to Israel were either delayed or not approved during the past five days.
Blurry
According to the newspaper, agencies working with Israeli importers said that the source of the delay is the Turkish government, and it is unclear how long the current situation will continue.
Globes reported that since last Friday it has not been possible to pay export duties for shipments from Turkey to Israel, as the dedicated website shows a technical error, with no option to proceed with the process.
According to the newspaper, the shipping lines operating on the line between Turkey and Israel - which remained active despite the war - are now working to delay the departure of the ships in the hope that the situation can still be resolved and they will be able to leave.
Globes reported that the Israeli Foreign Ministry has already been informed of the situation and is dealing with it.
The newspaper believes that although this is not an official punishment, there are indications that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has taken strict measures regarding trade between the two countries, according to the newspaper.
In 2023, Israel imported goods worth $5.42 billion from Türkiye (Shutterstock)
Not intended for export
Last January, with the intensification of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, Turkey decided to remove Israel from its list of export destination countries, which led to the cessation of encouraging and supporting trade and supporting the companies that work with it. This also sent a message to Turkish business owners that if they participate in trade With Israel, the state will not help them.
The Turkish Ministry of Trade stopped supporting joint conferences with Israel, eliminating the ability of the Turkish Trade Attaché to encourage contacts between the two countries.
In 2023, Israel imported goods worth $5.42 billion from Turkey, down from $7 billion in 2022, according to reports by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics. Israeli exports to Turkey amounted to $1.5 billion in 2023, down from $2.5 billion in 2022, according to What the newspaper reported.
Last December, Turkish Trade Minister Omar Polat revealed to Al Jazeera Net that his country's trade with Israel is currently declining significantly.
Polat said at the time that from October 7 to December 4, 2023, trade between Turkey and Israel decreased by more than 50% and is still declining.
Source: Al Jazeera + Israeli press