Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday he will never allow electronic cigarette companies to produce their products in Turkey, urging Turks to drink tea instead.
Speaking at an event against smoking in Istanbul, Erdogan said he had ordered his Trade Minister "never" to allow e-cigarettes in Turkey and said that tobacco companies were "getting rich by poisoning" people.
"They asked us for a place and permission to produce these (e-cigarettes). We didn't give it to them and we will not," he said, without saying which firm or firms he was referring to.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.