Russia and Turkey edged closer to a fully fledged trade war
as Moscow punished Ankara for its perceived support for Georgia's US backers.
The Georgian foreign minister, Eka Tkeshelashvili, yesterday
flew to Turkey, which has been caught in the middle of the dispute, for talks
as Ankara threatened to block Russian imports in retaliation for similar moves
by Moscow.
Hundreds of Turkish trucks bound for Russia have been
stranded at the Russian border for three weeks after being denied access by customs
officials. There has been intense speculation that the blockade was driven by a
Russian desire to punish Turkey for allowing US warships carrying humanitarian
and medical aid to Georgia to pass through the Bosporus straits, which lead to
the Black Sea.
Fears of a trade war were prompted last Friday after
Turkey's foreign trade minister, Kursad Tuzmen warned that "whatever is
being done to Turkish goods in Russia, we will do the same things to Russian
goods".
Any such a development could threaten Turkey's energy
supplies. The country gets two-thirds of its natural gas from Russia.
Wary of antagonising Moscow, Turkey has thus far refrained
from sharply criticising Russia's invasion of Georgia. The Russian foreign
minister, Sergey Lavrov, is expected to visit Turkey tomorrow.
