March 16, 2018•Update: March 17, 2018
By Meltem Bulur and Adem Salvarcioglu
ANKARA
Turkey has announced a change on the sanctions currently imposed on North Korea, according to the Turkish government's official gazette on Friday, a daily printed record of legislative acts and notices.
According to the official gazette, the Council of Ministers decided the change on the sanctions under the framework of the decisions of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
According to the change, gold transfer to and from North Korea will be prohibited in that it might contribute to the country's nuclear program or cause an avoidance of the sanctions against the country.
Turkish citizens will no longer be allowed to buy lead and lead ore from North Korea through planes and vessels carrying the Turkish flag regardless of whether the source country is North Korea or not.
The sale or transport of natural gas to North Korea and the sale, transport and provision of crude oil and refined petroleum products to North Korea will be banned.
Selling or shipping industrial machinery, transport equipment, iron, steel or other metals, as well as the sale or transport of new or used cargo vessels to North Korea will also be prohibited with the exception of cases on which there are existing UN Sanctions Committee decisions.
The supply of textile products from North Korea, including fabrics, and semi-finished or ready-to-wear garments, will be prohibited. However, commercial transactions will be allowed if the contract was signed before Sept. 11, 2017.
Turkish citizens will no longer be allowed to buy or receive, directly or indirectly, food and agricultural products, machinery, electrical appliances, stones -- including magnesite and magnesia -- timber, and any kind of vessels from North Korea through planes and vessels carrying the Turkish flag.
Inspections can be carried out in line with national and international law at any related facility and location, including ports and airports, in case of reasonable doubt that a cargo to or from North Korea might contain any one of the products whose sale and supply is prohibited.
If there are reasonable grounds that a vessel is engaged in prohibited activities or linked in any way to nuclear or ballistic missile programs, it will be deregistered by the flag state and also prevented from entering its home port with the exception of a number of cases.
It will also be prohibited to open new branches of Turkish banks, subsidiaries or representative offices in North Korea while the existing ones will be closed.
Turkish citizens will also not be allowed to establish partnership with North Korean citizens and organizations any longer.
North Korean citizens will no longer be permitted to work in Turkey, except for those with work permits issued before Sept. 11, 2017, when the UNSC adopted Resolution 2375.
In addition, the list of materials banned on account of their use in nuclear science or rocket fuels has been updated with the addition of materials and products that might be used in chemical or biological weapons.
Finally, a travel ban will be imposed on 40 North Korean nationals, whose assets in Turkey will also be frozen.
