By Mengqi Sun
Companies conducting business in Turkey are bracing for possibly
more restrictions and lost revenue in the wake of President Trump's
authorization of new sanctions on the country -- a move that could
further complicate compliance as geopolitical tensions grow.
The U.S. Treasury Department on Monday levied sanctions against
Turkey's Defense, Interior and Energy ministers and the Ministry of
National Defence and Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. The
U.S. also warned that any individuals or entities engaging with
them risk being blacklisted as well, including banks losing access
to dollar markets.
While the initial designations, which aim to stop Ankara's
incursion into Syria, are limited, the executive order signed by
President Trump authorizes the U.S. Treasury Department to issue a
broad range of sanctions. That could pose more significant
consequences to multinational companies -- especially if the
Treasury imposes more sanctions on Turkish government bodies,
industries, companies and individuals, according to sanctions
lawyers.
Several U.S. lawmakers also are preparing legislation to place
sanctions on Turkey. Last week, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) said
in a tweet that he had reached a bipartisan agreement to impose
sanctions on Turkey. The tweet also included a proposed list of
sanctions, including sanctions against the Turkish energy
sector.
The U.S. has ramped up its use of sanctions in recent years to
advance a range of foreign policy goals. The country reimposed
sanctions on Iran after the U.S. pulled out of a 2015 nuclear
accord. The U.S. also has used sanctions to pressure Venezuelan
leaders that the U.S. considers illegitimate.
Sanctions on Turkey could pose a new level of compliance
challenges for companies because of the size of the Turkish economy
and its integration with the global economy.
"This is a major G-20 economy," said Adam M. Smith, a sanctions
lawyer at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.
"So long as you're going after jurisdictions that big and
integrated, the knockoff effect of the consequence will be broad,"
he said.
Volkswagen AG on Tuesday delayed approval of a new car plant in
Turkey. Meanwhile, Siemens AG, which has about 3,000 employees in
Turkey, said it is watching the events but doesn't yet see a direct
impact on its business.
Harsher U.S. sanctions on Turkey's energy sector would have a
"significant detrimental impact" for TransAtlantic Petroleum Ltd.,
a publicly listed energy producer, because the company derives all
of its revenue from Turkey, said Malone Mitchell, the company's
chief executive and chairman.
"Sanctions affecting the domestic producers would not be
meaningful and probably have negligible impact for Turkey and a
significant detrimental impact for the U.S. companies operating in
the country," Mr. Mitchell said.
The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, which enforces
U.S. economic sanctions, has issued three general licenses related
to the Turkey sanctions, including one that allows a 30-day
wind-down period for companies to end transactions or activities
that involve Turkey's ministries of energy or defense.
Companies doing business in Turkey should make sure that their
arrangements there have contractual protections and exit rights, if
the situation changes further, according to Jonathan Cross, a
sanctions lawyer at Herbert Smith Freehills. Companies also should
take a look at their exposure and maintain robust
sanctions-compliance procedures in relation to Turkey.
"When you're imposing on a jurisdiction that is as substantial
as Russia or Turkey, it's very difficult to immediately unwind,"
Mr. Smith said. "It seems that companies would need to take
advantage of this general license to unwind properly."
TransAtlantic Petroleum, which produces oil and gas, has been
operating in Turkey for more than a decade and has employees in the
Kurdish region of Turkey, according to Mr. Mitchell. Company
executives had a conference call Tuesday to discuss the latest U.S.
actions.
The company's operations are ongoing as normal, Mr. Mitchell
said, and it continues to monitor the situation to make sure the
company remains in compliance.
It has reached out to the U.S. State Department and legislators,
Mr. Mitchell said, hoping to maintain a dialogue on the petroleum
industry in Turkey, which he said relies heavily on imports for its
energy use.
"Every normal person is concerned," he said. "We've had 11 years
of good relationship, and we hope to have ongoing
relationships."
The company hopes that any temporary actions would be resolved
through the political process.
The "U.S. and Turkey have been long-term allies," he said.
"We'll comply with whatever actions by the U.S. or Turkey."
--Nina Trentmann contributed to this article.
Write to Mengqi Sun at mengqi.sun@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
October 16, 2019 17:50 ET (21:50 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Siemens (PK) (USOTC:SIEGY)
Historical Stock Chart
From Aug 2024 to Sep 2024
Siemens (PK) (USOTC:SIEGY)
Historical Stock Chart
From Sep 2023 to Sep 2024