The World Trade Organization (WTO) announced on April 20 that Turkey has requested consultations with the US regarding the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to exchange views on the measure and reach an understanding on ways to achieve the objective set out in the WTO's Agreement on Safeguards.
Meanwhile, according to the WTO’s announcement on April 23, the US has declined Turkey’s request for consultations, stating that the tariffs on steel and aluminum imports are not safeguard measures, and, therefore, there is no basis to conduct consultations under the WTO’s Agreement on Safeguards with respect to these measures. The US also said that it is open to discuss this or any other issue with Turkey; however, any discussions regarding the proclamations would not be under the WTO’s Agreement on Safeguards.