Ankara _ Agencies
A number of citizens and residents of Turkey have been suffering on a daily basis from the unrest that has afflicted the country´s economy for days, especially the deterioration of the local currency "lira."
The US newspaper, The Washington Post, interviewed citizens, residents and refugees, including the Syrian Ahmed Khalaf, who said his status in the country had become difficult because of the high inflation rate.
Khalaf said he was sending $150 a month to his relatives in his motherland, but this month he was forced to not divert any money due to the economic fluctuations in Turkey, adding "the pound dropped against a high price hike in food and other services."
He concluded, "What I hardly earn is enough for my daily living."
The Turkish lira has witnessed a major deterioration in recent days, after US president Donald Trump announced double tariffs on the Turkish aluminium and steel, against the backdrop of the US pastor´s hostage crisis in Turkey.
In a carpets shop in Istanbul´s Grand Bazaar, Serhat Göghaya suffers from the same difficulties, finding himself forced to retire from his job "whose salary is no longer sufficient for high-life expenses" to be engaged in a supermarket in the big market.
He said tourists who were visiting the country and spending important money have fallen dramatically, saying "tourists from the United States and Europe are reviving the local economy, but their number has been reduced by the country´s bombings, political instability and escalating repression of the authorities."
"Everything that is going on in Turkey now is about the reverend," he said.
The US pastor Andrew Branson, who is in Ankara, has exploded because of a major crisis with Washington, which demands his immediate release amid a categorical rejection by the Turkish authorities.
"The Washington Post" said that Pastor Branson´s case had caused a "trade war" between the two countries, noting that the people of the country would bear their "consequences."
"The mood of the nervous state will affect us all," said Turkish citizen Mahmat Amin Uimak, who owns a store in Istanbul´s Sirji district.
"The people here are cautious.. We no longer have customers, everyone here is afraid of the future. "
The owner of a gold store in the Grand Bazaar was not different from the previous one, where he said, "Gold prices change every hour... The present value of this metal is very high.. Most tourists are becoming frugal in their purchases. "
On Wednesday evening, Turkey hinted that it could undo its stance in the crisis with the United States, saying it was "ready to discuss outstanding issues with Washington without threats."
Earlier, US officials warned of new escalatory measures Washington might take against Ankara if it did not release the detained priest.
