Türkiye’s three state banks have suspended the use of the Russian Mir payment system, Finance Minister Nureddin Nebati said on Thursday.
The halt comes following warnings from the United States of secondary sanctions on entities if they are found helping Moscow skirt financial sanctions.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday said Türkiye would have to take steps to find an alternative to the Mir system, “whether we like it or not."
Two private Turkish banks, DenizBank and Işbank, were the first to suspend the use of Mir last week after Washington expanded its sanctions on Russia, including targeting the entity that runs the payment system.
The three state lenders – Halkbank, VakıfBank and Ziraat – still worked with the cards.
Asked by Reuters on Thursday whether all three banks have suspended the use of Mir, Nebati confirmed that they had but did not respond to a question about whether an alternative system would be adopted.
Banks use other international payment systems such as SWIFT.
Chief Executive Alpaslan Çakar confirmed earlier on Thursday that Ziraat Bank has suspended the use of Mir. The two other state banks, Halkbank and VakifBank, have not commented on the issue.
The Kremlin on Wednesday condemned Washington for forcing Turkish banks to cut their Russian ties, saying the decision was made under “unprecedented pressure.”
Banks in several other countries, including Vietnam and Kazakhstan, have withdrawn support for Mir. Mir is Moscow’s alternative to Visa and Mastercard, which suspended operations in Russia over its actions in Ukraine and whose cards issued in Russia have stopped working abroad.
NATO member Türkiye has close ties with both Moscow and Kyiv, its Black Sea neighbors. It has criticized Moscow’s invasion and provided Ukraine with arms, including drones, which significantly deter a Russian advance early in the conflict. Ankara has refused to join the West in imposing sanctions on Russia – a stance that has helped its mediation efforts reap results.
Mir cards offer millions of Russians who vacation in Türkiye each year a way to access their rubles and pay for everything from restaurants to hotels.
They are also increasingly important to Russians who are fleeing to Türkiye as part of a new migration wave of military-aged men after Moscow ordered a partial mobilization to replenish its ranks.
Russia has been among the biggest tourist sources for Türkiye, and Russians have been the top real estate buyers this year.
