Turkey to boycott US electronic goods as diplomatic row with Trump escalates

Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said his country will boycott US electronic goods amid an escalating diplomatic dispute with the Trump adminstration.

The move comes after Washinton imposed sanctions and raised tariffs against Ankara in a dispute about the detention of a US evangelical pastor.

Mr Erdogan said Turkey had been taking necessary measures regarding the economy, amid a slide in the lira currency exacerbated by the dispute with Washington, but that it was important to keep a firm political stance.

Switching to foreign currency would mean giving in to the enemy, he added.

The Turkish lira plummeted to 6.98 per dollar on Monday, having nose-dived as low as just 7.2 overnight. The currency has lost more than a quarter of its value over just seven days and is now around 45 per cent down since the start of 2018.

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The Independent