Aktay to Saudi officials: This is the difference between a ban...

Istanbul: Yasin Aktay, an advisor to the head of the ruling Justice and Development Party, called on Monday for Saudi officials to learn the difference between their direct ban on Turkish products and the willingly boycott of French products by the Saudi people.
In an article entitled “Turkey and French politics under the test of embargo and boycott,” published by the website of the Turkish newspaper “Yeni Safak”, Aktay said: “We saw how the boycott that the Muslim peoples started in response to (French President Emmanuel) Macron’s insulting and anti-Islam statements, overwhelmed the ban. Imposed by Saudi Arabia on Turkish products and goods, within a short time.
And he believed that “the echo of both campaigns in reality, whether within the country or on a global level, carries important indications about who possesses prestige and power in the eyes of the people.”
He added that “the Saudi ban campaign against Turkish products was not left to the decision, will or choice of the people, on the contrary, it was a direct, compulsory ban to prevent Turkish companies from exporting their products to Saudi Arabia.”
Aktay stressed that “the Saudi campaign did not stop at the limits of its adoption, but rather its leadership by the head of the Saudi (commercial) chambers, Ajlan bin Abdulaziz Al-Ajlan and others close to the royal family in Saudi Arabia.”
And he added, “Rather, it came to calling all companies that deal with Turkey separately, and warning them by Saudi officials. Investors were also asked to withdraw their investments from Turkey, and everyone knows how much the cost of rejecting or opposing the request of Saudi officials will be.
And he added: “It was observed that many Saudi companies suddenly entered a race across communication sites to boycott Turkish products, for what they considered solidarity with the Saudi Crown Prince (Mohammed bin Salman). Especially the companies that had good commercial relations with Turkey, and found themselves compelled to submit to and participate in this campaign.
Aktay said that “such campaigns will not one day be able to penetrate the side of the Saudi people, as it carries deep affection and great respect and is strong, whether for (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan or Turkey.”
He continued: “Because this is known and clear, this campaign was not left to the will and choice of the people, but rather was imposed on it.”
He added, “As for the situation of those who participate in this ban campaign, individually and collectively, as it was written on them, it is exactly like the situation that the late (Saudi writer) (Jamal) Khashoggi drew about freedom of expression in Saudi Arabia, where people find themselves forced to say things that they do not believe and are not convinced of. . They are forced to support the blockade of Qatar, bless it and applaud it. They are forced to beautify the coalition’s practices in Yemen, despite all the violations … just as they are forcing them to attack Turkey and Erdogan. ”
Khashoggi was assassinated in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, on October 2, 2018, in a crime that the United Nations said was responsible for the Saudi Crown Prince, which Riyadh denies.
Aktay stressed that this campaign “could not penetrate people and secure a response to it, but when Erdogan called for a boycott of French products, we saw how this call did not stop at the borders of Turkey only, but traveled the whole world, even in Saudi Arabia.”
He added, “The Saudi people cannot access Turkish products because they were directly banned, but they boycotted French products of their own free will, as if they had responded to the boycott of Turkish products by boycotting French products.”
Aktay stressed that “the Saudi people desperately want Turkish products. Government boycotts of products of this kind are doomed to remain hopeless and useless campaigns.
He continued, “Turkish products are competing with their quality, beauty and charm even European products.”
“In Turkey, no one is forced to buy or not buy a product. Therefore, Erdogan’s call was within the rights and within the limits of democratic civil reactions. Therefore, we find that it has resonated throughout the Islamic world.
He attributed the reason to the fact that “Erdogan is very confident of the eligibility of his demand and the power of his representation in the Islamic world. The response of the masses in all parts of the Islamic world to this call increases the power of its representation of the Islamic world today.
He continued, “The right and the representation on which Erdogan relied in his boycott enjoys great power, which made French President Macron quickly back down.”
After announcing France’s adherence to the cartoons insulting to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Macron said, in a televised interview on Saturday, that he understands Muslims’ feelings about the cartoons, and that “it is not a government project, but rather emanating from free and independent newspapers that are not affiliated with the government.”
Aktay concluded by saying, “Now let us see whether Saudi officials will take a lesson they must need to learn the difference between direct ban and boycott?”
(Anatolia)