25 Apr 2024
Monday 20 August 2018 - 11:00
Story Code : 316488

Turkey, Qatar central banks ink currency swap agreement



Press TV - Qatar and Turkey's central banks have entered a currency swap agreement aimed at providing liquidity and support for financial stability.

Qatar's central bank made the announcement on Sunday, several days after Doha promised to give Turkey $15 billion in support.

The deal, signed by both central banks' directors, will create a two-way currency exchange line, which will in turn bolster Turkey's currency.

The Turkish lira has lost about 30 percent of its value against the US dollar since the beginning of August. The currency crash occurred in the wake of tensions with the United States. The detention ofAndrew Brunson, an American pastor, in Turkey has cast doubts over the future of Ankara's partnership with Washington.

On Friday, UAE State Minister for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash hit out at Qatars pledge to direct investment in Turkey.

In a post on his Twitter page, Gargash referred to a recent visit to Ankara by the Qatari emir and his pledge to help Turkey overcome an ongoing currency crisisand described it as an attempt to buy sovereignty.

Full sovereignty cannot be bought with money but is achieved by establishing sincere and reliable relations with surrounding countries, Gargash said in his tweet, the dailyGulf Newsreported.

The emir of Qatar arrived in Turkey on a working visit aimed at strengthening mutual cooperation.

In a private meeting, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Sheikh Tamim discussed bilateral relations and ways to expand the existing strategic ties between the two sides in various fields.

During the meeting, Qatar pledged$15 billionin direct investments in "Turkeys financial markets and banks", Turkish officials said.

The announcement helped the Turkish national currency lira recover from record lows against the US dollar.

Only one day after Qatar pledged the investment, the lira strengthened some 4 percent against the greenback to around 5.75 per dollar.

Media outlets close to the UAE and Saudi Arabia quotedanalysts as saying that Qatar had been forced to make the investment pledge in exchange for keeping the Turkish military base and Turkish soldiers on its soil.

On August 10, US President Donald Trump announced that his administration was doubling steel and aluminum tariffs on Turkey. The move came as part of the US reaction to Turkeys two-year-long detention of an American pastor over terrorism charges.

In retaliation, Erdoganraised tariffs on some American commodities, and called on Turkish people toboycott US-made electronic goods, including Apples iPhones.

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