Minister Nebati Criticizes Kılıçdaroğlu’s Response to Russia
Turkish Treasury and Finance Minister Nureddin Nebati has accused opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu of putting Turkey’s commercial and diplomatic relations with Russia at risk with his “irresponsible and baseless statements.” Nebati claimed that Kılıçdaroğlu’s comments, made days before elections, could jeopardize the country’s foreign trade volume with Russia, which is approximately $68 billion. Nebati also stated that Turkey imports 52% of its crude oil from Russia, and that the country is actively working with Russia to build the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant. Additionally, Nebati highlighted that Russia has been one of the top five countries to send visitors to Turkey for many years, and that the country has more than 5.6 million Russian tourists annually. Nebati claimed that Kılıçdaroğlu’s statements during the election put Turkey’s tourism professionals, farmers, industry workers, and textile and fashion sector at risk. In response to the accusations, Kılıçdaroğlu’s party claimed that Nebati’s statements were baseless and that the opposition would continue to criticize the government’s policies.
