Turkey's Albayrak says U.S. steps against Ankara could destabilise region

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Recent steps taken by the United States against Turkey are politically motivated and could serve to ultimately bolster regional terrorism and the refugee crisis, Turkish Finance Minister Berat Albayrak said on Monday.

Albayrak, speaking at a news conference in Paris following a meeting with his French counterpart, Bruno Le Maire, also said that Turkey wanted to increase trade with France - now at 14 billion euros (£12.6 billion) - to 20 billion euros (£18.1 billion).

(Reporting by Leigh Thomas in Paris and Ali Kucukgocmen in Istanbul; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Toby Chopra)