(AFP Photo)
AFP – The Turkish government has warned companies about doing business with “politically sensitive” countries, local media reported on Tuesday.
In a circular sent to industrial and commercial organisations, the economy ministry instructed companies to coordinate any visits to such countries or business alliances with the relevant Turkish authorities, the Hurriyet Daily News reported.
The circular did not specify which countries were categorised as “politically sensitive” but it was interpreted to be referring to the Middle East, the newspaper said.
“Bilateral visits should be declared to the ministry in advance and they should be coordinated by the economy ministry, in consultation with the foreign ministry,” it quoted the circular as saying.
The economy ministry was not immediately available to verify the report.
Turkish businesses have been hit hard by the civil war in Syria, the surging violence in Iraq and diplomatic tensions with Egypt.
A number of Turkish companies briefly halted operations in Egypt during the violence that erupted after former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi was toppled by the military in July, although there has not yet been a major pullout, Hurriyet said.
But it said that many Turkish contractors had had to drop billion-dollar projects in Libya because of the unrest there, Hurriyet said.
