Ministry ask firms about Iraqi business activities

Erdinç Çelikkan ANKARA

The Turkish Economy Ministry has asked for Turkish companies to inform the government about their
business ties in Iraq amid the violence and political turmoil, which threatens all economic activities.

The ministry has issued a written message to 1,500 companies asking about the problems they have been facing and whether their orders from Iraq had been cancelled amid the expanding presence of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

“Are you receiving payment problems, can you fulfill your commitments, what days did your exports decline and which provinces have been most affected by the crisis?” the statement sent from the ministry read.

The seizure of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul and the kidnapping of 80 Turkish nationals by ISIL have prompted safety concerns over business ties, as well as drag the future of the relationship between Baghdad and Ankara into uncertainty.