Kremlin: Turkish banks are under US pressure

The Kremlin considered that the decision of Turkish state-owned banks to abandon the use of the Russian payment system Mir was forced due to the unprecedented US pressure on the country and the threat of secondary sanctions.

Asked how the Kremlin views the situation with Turkish banks that have stopped accepting Russian Mir bank cards, Peskov told reporters today: “It is clear that banks and economic workers are under severe pressure from the United States, they are threatening (with sanctions), and this decision, of course. It was made under this completely unprecedented pressure, the situation is complicated, and, of course, we need to jointly look for ways to counter this pressure in a way that does not harm our trade and economic cooperation and does not deprive the millions of Russian tourists who annually visit Turkey, comfortable conditions.

Earlier, Bloomberg, citing a high-ranking Turkish official, reported that Turkish state-owned banks Ziraat Bank, Vakifbank and Halkbank had suspended the use of these cards. The move was made in light of US sanctions, according to the agency.

And earlier, Turkish media, citing their sources, reported that Ankara would announce the details of the payment system in the next two days, which should be an alternative to the Mir system in Turkey.

Mir, a Russian bank card operating through the national payment system, was launched in 2015 after a number of Russian banks ran into problems with Visa and MasterCard companies due to Western sanctions against Moscow.

Source: RIA Novosti + TASS

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