FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Volkswagen (DE:VOWG_p) has postponed the final decision whether to build a car plant in Turkey, a company spokesman said, amid international criticism of the country's military operation in Syria and concerns about potential reputational fallout.
"We are carefully monitoring the current situation and look with concern at current developments," a company spokesman said on Tuesday.
Earlier this month, Volkswagen established a subsidiary in Turkey's western Manisa province, while the company said that it was still in the final stages of negotiation and that it had not made a final decision on the factory.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday that she told Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan that the offensive must be stopped because it risked creating a humanitarian crisis.
European Union countries agreed on Monday to limit arms exports to Turkey, while U.S. President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on Turkey.