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Turkey Could Lose 500,000 Tourists due to Russia Flight Restrictions

People walk inside historical Spice Bazaar, in Istanbul, Turkey, April 13, 2021. (AP)
People walk inside historical Spice Bazaar, in Istanbul, Turkey, April 13, 2021. (AP)
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Turkey Could Lose 500,000 Tourists due to Russia Flight Restrictions

People walk inside historical Spice Bazaar, in Istanbul, Turkey, April 13, 2021. (AP)
People walk inside historical Spice Bazaar, in Istanbul, Turkey, April 13, 2021. (AP)

Turkish Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said flight restrictions imposed by Russia until June could cost Turkey 500,000 tourists, broadcaster NTV reported on Wednesday.

Russia said it will restrict flights to and from Turkey from April 15 to June 1 as new coronavirus infections rose to an all-time high in Turkey, prompting fresh lockdown measures.

"The date when the flight ban ends could be brought forward depending on a fall in COVID-19 case numbers. There might be a fall of near 500,000 in tourist numbers," Ersoy said, adding that there are no issues with summer bookings, according to NTV.

On Monday, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said that a Russian delegation would visit Turkey's tourist destinations soon to observe coronavirus control measures in the areas.

The outbreak slashed Turkey's tourism revenues by two thirds last year, an economy reliant on tourists to bring in foreign currency revenue that helps curb its chronic current account deficit.

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US Imposes Iran-Related Sanctions on Third China ‘Teapot’ Refinery, Port Terminal

A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. (Reuters)
A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. (Reuters)
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US Imposes Iran-Related Sanctions on Third China ‘Teapot’ Refinery, Port Terminal

A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. (Reuters)
A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. (Reuters)

US President Donald Trump's administration on Thursday imposed sanctions on a third Chinese independent - or "teapot" - oil refinery, and port terminal operators in China for purchases of Iranian oil.

The US Treasury designated the Hebei Xinhai Chemical Group refinery and three companies for operating a terminal at Dongying Port in Shandong Province. It said they had purchased or facilitated the delivery of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Iranian oil.

It was the latest independent Chinese refinery targeted by the Trump administration after it re-imposed a policy of "maximum pressure" that aims to cut off Iran's export revenue to pressure Tehran into a deal to curb its nuclear program and stop the funding of militant groups across the Middle East.

"So long as Iran attempts to generate oil revenues to fund its destabilizing activities, the United States will hold both Iran and all its partners in sanctions evasion accountable," the US Treasury said in a statement.

Previous sanctions imposed on two small Chinese refiners for buying Iranian oil have created difficulties in receiving oil, leading them to halt purchases of crude and sell product under other names, sources familiar with the matter said.

Those sanctions have also begun to deter other, larger independent Chinese refiners from buying Iranian crude, three of the sources said.

Iran's UN mission in New York and China's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The companies Treasury designated for operating the port terminal were Baogang (Dongying Donggang) Logistics and Warehousing Co, Ltd, Shandong Jingang Port Co, Ltd, and Shandong Baogang International Port Co, Ltd.

Treasury said the companies operate a terminal in Dongying Port that has received more than one million barrels of Iranian oil from shadow fleet tankers.

The sanctions block US assets of those designated and prevent Americans from doing business with them.