Saudi retailers join growing boycott of Turkish products

Saudi retailers join growing boycott of Turkish products

RIYADH – Saudi Arabia's biggest supermarket chains this week joined a growing boycott of Turkish imports proposed by business leaders and Saudis on social media, as political tensions spilled into trade between the two regional powers.

Turkey and Saudi Arabia have been at loggerheads since the 2011 “Arab spring” over Ankara's support for Islamist groups, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood. Erdogan's relentless attempts to expand its influence in the Muslim world are resented by Riyadh.

The 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom's Istanbul consulate escalated tensions as Ankara took advantage of the murder to pressure Saudi Arabia.

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.

“Our leaders, our government and our security are a red