Sochi analysis from FT: West may call on companies and banks to withdraw from Turkey

After the meeting of President Erdogan and Russian President Putin in the city of Sochi, the Financial Times published an analysis. Speaking to the FT, Western officials expressed the ‘threat’ of sanctions on Turkey.

An article published in the British economic newspaper The Financial Times (FT) after the talks of President Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi said that “alarm bells have been raised from Western capitals due to Turkey’s deepening ties with Russia.” The article said that after Erdogan and Putin had agreed to increase cooperation, Western officials had warned of retaliation if Ankara helped Moscow avoid sanctions.”

“Western capitals, increasingly concerned about the deepening economic cooperation between Erdogan and Putin, have warned that the risk for NATO members to apply penal sanctions to Turkey would increase in case Turkey helped Russia to avoid sanctions.

“Turkey’s attitude is very opportunistic”

According to Sputnik, 6 Western officials who spoke to the FT said they were concerned about the commitment of the Turkish and Russian leaders to expand trade and energy cooperation after a 4-hour meeting in Sochi. An EU official expressed that the 27-member bloc was monitoring Turkish-Russian cooperation more closely every day, worried that Turkey was increasingly becoming the platform for trade with Russia. “We are trying to make sure that the Turks pay attention to our concerns,” another EU official said, calling Turkey’s attitude towards Russia “very opportunistic.”

SOURCE: halktv.com.tr/dunya/ftden-soci-analizi-bati-sirket-ve-bankalarini-turkiyeden-cekilmeye-cagirabilir-687510h