Saudi Arabia’s biggest supermarket chains have joined a growing boycott of Turkish goods.
The boycott was proposed by business leaders and Saudis on social media, as political tensions spilled into trade between the two leading Islamic nations.
Othaim Markets, Danube Supermarkets, Tamimi Markets and Panda Retail Company issued statements announcing they would stop carrying Turkish goods once existing stocks are sold off.
Turkey and Saudi Arabia have been at loggerheads since the 2011 “Arab Spring” over Ankara’s support for political groups aligned to Muslim brotherhood.
The hostility was further worsened by the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate.
Saudi Arabia’s government media office has said authorities have not placed any restrictions on Turkish goods.
However, signs urging customers not buy Turkish goods were seen in some retail stores in the capital Riyadh.
The head of Saudi Arabia’s non-governmental Chambers of Commerce, Ajlan al-Ajlan, called for the boycott earlier this month.
On social media, the hashtags #Boycott_Turkish_Products and #Turkish_Products_Boycott_Camapaign have been trending over the last month.
In Turkey, exporters said they had experienced growing difficulties with Saudi Arabia, although they faced fewer problems with regional trade hub the United Arab Emirates, which is also opposed to Turkish foreign policy in the region.
