Kommersant: Türkiye blocks transit of sanctioned goods to Russia

The Turkish customs system blocks the clearance of transit of sanctioned goods to Russia.

The problems arose during the transit of sanctioned goods that are supplied to Russia through parallel imports, Kommersant reports.

“We have started receiving notifications from agents since March 8 that previously agreed flight bookings were being cancelled. The reason is that the transit goods for Türkiye are not sent to Russia any more,” CEO of OptimaLog Georgy Vlastopulo said.

Commercial director of Transasia Logistics Valeria Savenkova said that the Turkish authorities did not publish official decrees and resolutions because in this case, they would have to admit the fact of supplying sanctioned products to Russia.

Some sources think that the transit of sanctioned goods was stopped due to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s recent visit to Türkiye.

According to the Financial Times, pressure on Türkiye is also exerted by the United Arab Emirates, which has become the main supplier of electronics to Russia.
The United Arab Emirates increased the export of electronics to Russia seven times - $300 million in 2022.

The trade turnover between Russia and Türkiye doubled from January through September 2022 and reached $45 billion.

Following negotiations with Blinken, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu explained the growth in trade turnover with Russia by rising prices for natural gas, which the country buys from Moscow.