U. S. reminded UAE and Turkey to comply with sanctions
2023.01.28 03:04
U. S. reminded UAE and Turkey to comply with sanctions
By Ray Johnson
Budrigannews.com – During a trip to Turkey and the Middle East next week, the top sanctions official from the U.S. Treasury Department will warn nations and businesses that doing business with entities subject to U.S. curbs could deny them access to the U.S. market as Washington cracks down on Russian attempts to evade sanctions imposed for its war in Ukraine.
A Treasury spokesperson told Reuters that Brian Nelson, the undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, will travel to Oman, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates from January 29 to February 3. He will meet with government officials, businesses, and financial institutions to reaffirm that Washington will continue to aggressively enforce its sanctions.
According to the spokesperson:
“individuals and institutions operating in permissive jurisdictions risk potentially losing access to U.S. markets due to doing business with sanctioned entities or failing to conduct appropriate due diligence.”
During his time in the region, Nelson will talk about Treasury’s efforts to crack down on Russian efforts to avoid export restrictions and sanctions imposed as a result of its bloody war with Ukraine, Iran’s destabilizing activities in the region, the risks of illicit finance undermining economic growth, and foreign investment.
Following a series of warnings issued last year by Treasury and Commerce Department officials as Washington increased pressure on Ankara to ensure the enforcement of U.S. curbs on Russia, the trip marks the latest visit to Turkey by a senior Treasury official to discuss sanctions.
The trip of Nelson comes at a time when relations between the United States and Turkey are strained due to disagreements between the two NATO allies over a variety of issues.
Washington has recently been troubled by Turkey’s refusal to approve Sweden and Finland’s NATO applications. Additionally, Ankara is dissatisfied with the fact that its request to purchase F-16 fighter jets is increasingly dependent on whether or not the two Nordic nations can join the alliance.
On February 2 and 3, Nelson will travel to the Turkish capital, Ankara, and the financial center, Istanbul. According to the spokesperson, he will advise businesses and banks to avoid transactions involving dual-use technology transfers that could be utilized by Russia’s military in the long run.
Items that can be used for both commercial and military purposes may exist.
Since the invasion, which left thousands dead and wounded and turned Ukrainian cities into rubble, Washington and its allies have imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
Turkey has sent armed drones to Ukraine and condemned Russia’s invasion. It also opposes Western sanctions against Russia and has close ties to both Moscow and Kyiv, its neighbors along the Black Sea.
Additionally, it has increased trade and tourism with Russia. While others keep substantial assets in the country, some Turkish businesses have purchased Russian assets from Western partners who have withdrawn due to the sanctions or have attempted to do so.
However, Ankara has promised that Turkey will not evade international sanctions.
Additionally, Washington is concerned about Iranian sanctions evasion.
The prominent Turkish businessman Sitki Ayan and his network of companies were subjected to sanctions by the United States last month on the grounds that they were accused of facilitating oil sales and money laundering for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.
According to the spokesperson, Nelson will take note of the nation’s “poor sanctions compliance” while he is there.
Washington has placed a number of sanctions on businesses based in the United Arab Emirates as a result of sanctions evasion related to Iran. On Thursday, the United Arab Emirates designated an aviation company for providing support to the Russian mercenary company the Wagner Group, which is fighting in Ukraine.
