Erdoğan: Turkey’s economic dynamics are solid

Turkey's economic dynamics are solid, strong and intact,Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Monday.

There can be no logical reason for the U.S. to launch an agressive politcal policy against an allied NATO partner that paid hefty prices in the past, Erdoğan said.

Speaking at the Ambassadors’ Conference in Ankara, Erdoğan said that Turkey will never again allow its policies to be taken hostage by tutelage.

“What we’re experiencing has nothing to do with crises, we’re facing a totally different thing. And now we have concrete steps we can take to counter it. Turkey’s economic dynamics are solid,” Erdoğan continued.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday ramped up his attack on Turkey by doubling U.S. tariffs on Turkish aluminum and steel imports to 20 percent and 50 percent, respectively.

Erdoğan on Sunday said Turkey would turn toward new markets, new partners and alternative financial tools.

“If you pressure us through the dollar, we will look for other ways to carry out our works,” he said.

Terming the recent U.S. tariffs on Turkey as an “economic war,” the Turkish president said: “We’ve seen your game and we challenge it.”

The aim of the recent U.S. pressure is “to ensnare Turkey in every field from finance to politics,” the president noted.

“We will not surrender,” Erdoğan asserted.