The last three Turkish banks that used the Russian payment system “Mir” have announced that they will stop accepting those cardsin the face of warnings from the United States that it could apply sanctions to foreign companies that contribute to their employment outside Russia.
State-owned Ziraat, Vakif and Halk banks were the last still using the “Mir” card system in Turkey, after Isbank and Denizbank announced last week that they were abandoning it, the broadcaster reports on September 28. NTV’.
Despite having condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Turkish government maintains good relations with Moscow and has not participated in the sanctions imposed by a large part of the international community.
Faced with warnings from the United States, Ankara announced that it would seek alternatives to maintain economic relations with Russia and the use of the “Mir” system, accepted by Turkey, Vietnam, Venezuela, Cuba and six former Soviet republics.
(Read on: UN condemns year of ‘shameful’ Afghanistan school closures.)
The use of this card in Turkey has to do with the fact that Russia was the second country sending tourists to the country in the first seven months of 2022, with almost 2.2 million travelers, behind only Germany, with almost 3 millions.
The Minister of Culture, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, indicated on September 27 that work is underway to find a long-term solutionsince the suspension of the “Mir” system could affect the tourism sector.
The Turkish government has defended maintaining a neutral position in the conflict caused by the Russian aggression against Ukraine, also due to its dependence on the hydrocarbons it imports from Russia.
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EFE
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