Iraqi Turkmens support Turkey amid US row

Turkey has a strong economy and will not be affected by current pressures against the country, a member of the Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF) said Tuesday.

"Stability of the Turkish fiscal structure means stability of the Middle East economy,” Aydin Maruf told Anadolu Agency.

“The Iraqi Turkmens fully support the Turkish economy," he said.

The Turkish lira has recently lost ground against the dollar amid a raft of newly-imposed U.S. sanctions.

Maruf reiterated that Turkey would survive the ongoing pressures against the country.

"These constraints will not have that much of an impact on Turkey. It will continue for a short time before fading away,” he said. “Turkey will get over this and will be successful again.”

The Turkmen lawmaker said that Turkey’s economic and political development has annoyed some countries.

"The U.S. embargo aims to create a political pressure, but they will fail," he said, stressing that the Iraqi Turkmens have always stood by Turkey.

"The U.S-imposed pressure and sanctions on Turkey have distressed all parties,” he said. “Turkey is a significant country in the Middle East.

"They [Turkey] have always taken a firm stance in support of the oppressed people and communities in the region... Turkey is an important country for all the oppressed ethnic groups in the Middle East, not only for us [Turkmens],” Maruf said.

“The stability of the Turkish economy means financial stability in the Middle East. The political stability in Turkey is equivalent to political stability in the Middle East,” he added. “Turkey is the superpower in the Middle East, it is a great state."

Turkey-U.S. are currently experiencing rocky relations since Washington imposed sanctions on Turkey’s interior and justice ministers last week after Ankara refused to release an American pastor who faces terrorism-related charges in Turkey.

Last Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump doubled tariffs on aluminum and steel imports from Turkey.