In this file photo taken on December 12, 2014 rolled aluminium are seen on the production line at the Constellium factory in Biesheim, eastern France. Major steel and aluminium producing nations condemned on March 2, 2018 US President Donald Trump's plan to impose tariffs on the industry, as stock markets plunged on fears of an imminent tit-for-tat trade war. (AFP photo)
ANKARA, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Turkey and the European Union have decided to move together at the World Trade Organization (WTO) platform against the United States' planned tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, Turkish Economy Ministry announced on Tuesday.
We have been closely following the issue and will take the necessary steps at various platforms, the ministry said in a written statement.
On March 1, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that his administration would impose a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminium, prompting a general criticism from many countries and causing turmoil in global stock market.
Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci discussed with European Union Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom by phone, and agreed on more coordination regarding the issue, according to the ministry.
"Such measures will hit Turkish importers, producers and exporters. If they complain about U.S. measures, we will assess the situation and are more likely to take retaliatory measures," Zeybekci said earlier.
Meanwhile, Cemil Ertem, chief economic adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, suggested Tuesday that Turkey could retaliate against Washington's decision by hiking duties on cotton imports from the U.S.
Turkey is the world's eighth-largest steel producer and the sixth largest steel exporter to the U.S. after Canada, Brazil, South Korea, Mexico and Russia.
In 2017, Turkey exported 1.2 billion U.S. dollars worth of steel and 78.5 million U.S. dollars worth of aluminium to the U.S..
Turkey also imported cotton products worth about 738 million U.S. dollars in 2017, according to the Turkish official data.