The US State Department stated that it has close relations with the Turkish government and said, “Turkey is a valuable ally for us.” US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller gave the following answer to the question “Are you not worried that sanctions against Turkish companies will affect Sweden’s NATO membership process?” at the daily press conference:
“No, We Don’t Think It Will Have Any Effect.”
“We have constructive and close relations with the Turkish government. Turkey is a valuable ally for us.” In his statement, Miller reminded that US President Joe Biden recently met with President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Miller stated that the sanctions against Turkish companies are not related to Sweden’s NATO membership and that he conveyed to Turkey the importance that the USA attaches to this membership.
In the statement made by the US Department of Treasury, it was announced that the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) targeted Russian elites, Russia’s industrial base, financial institutions and technology suppliers in order to weaken Russia’s capacity to wage war against Ukraine.
In the statement, it was stated that OFAC had imposed nearly 100 sanctions, and the US State Department had also added more than 70 people to its sanctions list. It was stated that 3 Turkey-based companies and a Turkish citizen who supported Russia in avoiding sanctions were included in the sanctions list.