An American intelligence agent asked about the confidential information of real estate transactions, which a Turkish newspaper reports to him.
The Central Intelligence Agency has “openly” threatened Turkish businessmen for trading with Russia, prying into their real estate deals over concerns about the potential circumvention of US sanctions, Yeni Safak daily reported on Friday.
The paper has learned that the CIA’s Turkey office chief allegedly called high-ranking construction-company employees, inquiring about transactions and other confidential details of recent real-estate purchases involving Russian entities or individuals.
The report states that the CIA officer interviewed various businessmen to monitor the US’s anti-Russian sanctions. He was interested to know the exact number of “Russians buy houses,” what channels and currency were used for transactions, and whether the payments were made through a bank or cash-in-hand.
Another example of what has been described by Turkish media as “interference in affairs which are not yours [US authorities’] duty” was a letter reportedly sent by US Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo to the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TUSIAD) on August 22.
According to reports, Adeyemo has threatened to impose restrictions on TUSIAD member countries that do business with Russia. The letter was confirmed by the association without disclosing the content. It also noted that the correspondence had been shared with the Turkish finance and foreign ministries.
It comes amid mounting concerns among Western nations about Turkey’s expanding trade and energy cooperation with Russia, and deepening ties between the two nations that could help Moscow bypass sanctions imposed by the US and EU over the conflict in Ukraine.
Last week, Adeyemo had a phone conversation with Turkish Deputy Finance Minister Yunus Elitas, during which he “rThere are concerns that Russian individuals and entities may be trying to use Turkey in order to avoid the sanctions imposed by the United States on 30 other countries.” the US Treasury Department’s readout said.
Turkey responded by saying it would not allow the “Breach” of American sanctions, while maintaining its “Balance” position on the Ukrainian conflict.
Though Turkey has condemned Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, it remains the only NATO member which has not imposed sanctions on Moscow or closed airspace for Russian flights.
Recep Tayyip Erdan, the Turkish president, had been positioned as an intermediary between Russia and Ukraine. After hosting unsuccessful peace talks in March, Turkey was able to broker an arrangement to allow Ukrainian grain to be re-sold via the Black Sea.
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