Free and fair trade is one of the few good principles that allows resources to flow to their point of best use, helping countries and companies to thrive and prosper, Murat Cebecioglu, chairman of the International Rebar Exporters and Producers Association (Irepas) said this week at the organization's conference in Istanbul, Turkey.
Cebecioglu emphasized that Irepas has been an advocate for free and fair trade, but he admitted that these are difficult times for world trade. He deemed unilateral US tariffs in contravention of World Trade Organization rules and principles and said the tariffs are inspired by protectionism.There is certainly an overcapacity problem in the industry but many countries faced with such tariffs are not the source of the problem - they are equally hurt by it, Cebecioglu said. It is very difficult to negotiate when trade measures are used as a political weapon and to threaten other countries, he added.In spite of such drastic developments, business sentiment in the market is still positive - but with fluctuations in certain areas due to ongoing instability, Cebecioglu added.On the last day of the conference, producers of long steel products and steel billet, as well as traders and raw material suppliers, shared with general...