The U.S. Treasury Department has signaled that Turkish authorities will implement measures to curb the circumvention of sanctions. Informational outlets quoted TASS as reporting a statement from the American foreign policy apparatus after bilateral talks laid out the expectations. The claim underscores a shared aim to keep sanctions from being bypassed and to reinforce financial integrity across borders.
On March 13 in Washington, Brian Nelson, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury responsible for counter-terrorism and financial intelligence, met with Mustafa Tuzcu, Turkey’s Deputy Minister of Commerce. During discussions, Nelson acknowledged Turkey’s recent strides in strengthening its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing framework and its expressed resolve to take concrete steps against sanction circumvention. The Treasury did not detail the specific restrictions currently in force, focusing instead on the broader objective of safeguarding the financial system against abuse and illicit flows.
Both sides affirmed that protecting the international financial system is a joint priority, aiming to prevent the misuse of financial channels to evade sanctions. Reports note that Turkey has halted parallel imports of goods previously subject to Western restrictions on Russia, aligning with the broader objective of enforcing restrictive measures. Analysts attribute this shift in policy to high-level discussions, including the recent visit of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Ankara, which carried warnings to Turkish firms about potential secondary sanctions for violations tied to Russia-related restrictions.