Turkey tries to counteract the drop of its national currency, accusing the United States of trying to wage economic war. Calls for recognition of the Armenian Genocide were voiced in Washington. The Turkish authorities have resorted to a series of economic measures to boost the Turkish currency. Let us remind that due to tense relations between the United States and Turkey, Turkish lira lost more than 40 percent of its value this year. High volumes of state debt also were a reason for that.
Turkish government tries to prevent the further drop. President Erdogan blames the United States and a number of other countries for launching an economic war against Ankara, criticizing the decision of Trump’s administration to set additional customs duties for the import of metal and aluminum. Relations between the two countries continue to be tense because of the detention of American Protestant clergyman Andrew Branson, development of Russian-Turkish relations, and because of Turkish spiritual figure Fethullah Gulen, who has settled down in the United States. Ankara accuses him of organizing the July coup and demands to hand him over to Turkish law enforcement bodies.
Analysts report that the Turkish economy has been in a tough situation for months now. According to them, President Erdogan’s threat that Ankara will acquire new allies does not stem from the interests of Turkey, since if this contrast lasts for a longer time, it will cause even greater damage to the global economy.
In this situation, Washington started to voice anti-Turkish calls addressed to President Trump, including the statement by Congressman Ted Lieu, where he urged President Trump to recognize the Armenian Genocide. The Congressman wrote on his Twitter page that he agrees with President Trump’s decision as Turkey becomes more and more authoritarian and anti-American. According to the Congressman, the US should no longer ignore the historical facts and should recognize the Armenian Genocide.