Using national currencies in international trade is an important step towards breaking imperialist shackles, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

His remarks came at the 34th Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC) meeting in Istanbul on Wednesday, YeniSafak reported.

“The more we boost our trade among COMCEC members, the stronger we will be. In order to break the shackles of imperialism, it is of critical importance to use local currencies in trade amongst ourselves,” Erdogan said.

According to him, as soon as the UN increased customs duties, the world was seeking protection mechanisms.

As reported earlier, the US imposed duties on steel (25%) and aluminum (10%) imports.