Saudi boycott of “everything that is Turkish”

Two years have passed since the assassination of the famous Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi in his country’s consulate in Istanbul. The Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said at the time that “there are parties seeking to cause a rift between Saudi Arabia and Turkey, but they will not be able to do so as long as there is a king named Salman bin Abdulaziz and a crown prince named Muhammad bin Salman in Saudi Arabia, and a president named Erdogan in Turkey. “.

These statements made by the Saudi Crown Prince at the time hoping to win over Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and push him to close the assassination file, no one believed them, because the Saudi regime’s position on Turkey was the biggest reason for the deterioration of relations between the two countries. This negative attitude has increased in hostility since that day, reaching the level of madness.

The Turkish media published reports a few days ago about the pressure exerted by the Saudi Ministry of Commerce on Saudi merchants and businessmen to terminate their contracts with Turkish companies, and the Chairman of the Council of Saudi Chambers and the President of the Riyadh Chamber, Ajlan Al-Ajlan, called in a tweet to “Province of all that is TurkishWhether on the level of import, investment or tourism, “claiming that it is” the responsibility of every Saudi, “which indicates that the hostility of the Saudi regime is no longer limited to Erdogan and his government, but has gone beyond that to reach” all that is Turkish. ”

Al-Ajlan’s statements represent Riyadh’s trend, even if the man does not occupy any position in the government, because such statements in Saudi Arabia are not issued without the approval of the leadership. The Saudi media and the armies of the so-called “electronic flies” had made calls before that to boycott Turkish products and tourism, but they did not gain popular acceptance, because the overwhelming majority of Saudis are not convinced of the need to boycott Turkey, and they do not agree with the government’s approach even if they do not express This is for fear of arrest, which prompted the Saudi regime to threaten merchants and businessmen.

Al-Ajlan’s statements represent Riyadh’s trend, even if the man does not occupy any position in the government, because such statements in Saudi Arabia are not issued without the approval of the leadership

A comprehensive Saudi boycott of Turkish products may harm Turkish companies in the near term, but the Turkish economy is solid and able to withstand the shock, and bypass it through alternative markets, because it is not based on a single product, such as oil or natural gas, nor on exporting to one market to collapse with its collapse . There are calls to boycott Turkish products in Saudi Arabia, and others to buy them in Azerbaijan, Pakistan, and others. To be sure, the “invisible hand” will soon regulate supply and demand in a free market economy, as Adam Smith points out.

In recent years, the Turkish economy began to move from agricultural products to technological and military products. There are indications that the demand for purchasing these products will increase in the near future, after these products have proven their quality and success in the arena. The expansion and export of technological and military products will certainly lead to a decline in the importance of exporting agricultural and food products.

This boycott will not harm Turkey alone, because most merchants, businessmen, and even Saudi consumers did not prefer Turkish products in support of the Turkish economy, but rather because they were affordable compared to their quality. It is possible that the alternative to these products is either poor or expensive, which means that the Saudi consumer will pay the price, in light of the increasing complaints about contaminated Egyptian agricultural products that use wastewater for irrigation, and carcinogenic fake products that come from the Jebel Ali region of the UAE. .

Saudi Arabia does not top the list of countries investing in Turkey. A week ago, Turkish Trade Minister Rohsar Bakcan stated that the Netherlands is at the top of the countries that make direct investment in the country. Jürgen Rigtrenk, Acting President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, announced that the volume of their investments in Turkey this year exceeded one billion euros, and that he expects it to reach 1.3-1.5 billion euros by the end of the year in various fields, such as production, banking, renewable energy and others, praising the durability of Turkish economy. It is expected that Turkey will remain the focus of attention of investors from all over the world because of the valuable opportunities it offers, and its respect for the rules of the free market and the rights of investors.

The most dangerous in the new Saudi trend is that the Turkish pilgrims and Umrah performers will not be safe, and they may be subjected to attacks, harassment and abusive behavior, in light of the great hatred that the Saudi media and personalities close to the Saudi regime pump every day against “everything that is Turkish.”

The most dangerous in the new Saudi trend is that the Turkish pilgrims and Umrah performers will not be safe, and they may be exposed to attacks, harassment and abusive behavior, in light of the great hatred that the Saudi media and personalities close to the Saudi regime pump every day against “everything that is Turkish.” It is imperative that the Turkish government study the security of Turkish pilgrims and Umrah performers in this fraught atmosphere.

Turkey is not hostile to the Kingdom, just as “electronic flies” are promoting, and everyone knows that the dispute between the two countries began with the adoption of Riyadh and its support for the Egyptian coup, and increased fierce after the assassination of Khashoggi. Despite the hostile Saudi position, Turkey has yet to reciprocate. It is certain that the trade relations between the two countries and the desire to overcome differences were among the most important reasons for this. After the comprehensive boycott and disengagement, Turkey will be freed from the restrictions of trade relations, to move in a number of files, such as Yemen, more free than before.

twitter.com/ismail_yasa