RIYADH/ISTANBUL: The head of Saudi Arabia’s Chambers of Commerce has calledfor a boycott of Turkish products amid reports from merchants thatanimosity between Ankara and Riyadh is hindering the flow of goods betweenthe two regional powers.
Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been at odds for some years over foreignpolicy and attitudes towards political Islamist groups. The murder of Saudijournalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi’s Istanbul consulate in 2018 escalatedtensions sharply.
Earlier this year the two countries blocked some of each other’s newswebsites.
“A boycott of everything Turkish, be it imports, investment or tourism, isthe responsibility of every Saudi ‘trader and consumer’, in response to thecontinued hostility of the Turkish government against our leadership,country and citizens,” businessman Ajlan al-Ajlan tweeted on Saturday.
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The Saudi Chambers of Commerce is a non-government group of private sectorbusiness people. The Saudi government’s communications office did notimmediately respond to a request for comment.
For over a year, some Saudi and Turkish traders have speculated that SaudiArabia was enacting an informal boycott of imports from Turkey.
