UAE lobby group calls on US senators to impose Turkey sanctions
Email seen by Anadolu reveals US-based firm called on legislators to impose sanctions on Turkey over Syria operation.
A lobbying firm working on behalf of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been trying to lobby politicians in the United States to impose sanctions on Turkey, the Turkish Anadolu news agency has revealed.
According to email records seen by Anadolu, Akin Gump, a Washington-based lobbying firm sent an email to US legislators after the House of Representatives agreed to impose sanctions on Turkey over its launch of a military operation in northeast Syria in October.
The November 7 email, sent on behalf of the embassy of the UAE in Washington, underscored “the UAE’s condemnation of Turkish aggression in Syria and support for sanctions measures against Turkey such as the House-passed ‘Protect Against Conflict by Turkey Act’.”
The lobbying group also referred to what it described as Qatar’s support for the Turkish military operation in Syria.
The email further expressed hope that “this information is helpful as you continue to monitor developments in Syria, and as the Senate considers potential sanctions measures”.
The names of the US senators to whom the message was sent were not revealed. The UAE embassy in Washington declined to comment on the matter.
US senators backed legislation last week to impose sanctions on Turkey over the purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defence system earlier this year and its recent military operation in northern Syria.
The vote, which was immediately condemned by Turkey, was seen as the latest move to push US President Donald Trump to take a harder line against Ankara.
The Trump administration has so far not imposed sanctions despite the president in 2017 signing a sanctions law that mandates financial penalties for countries that do business with Russia’s military.