Tensions between Turkey and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are spilling over into the economic realm with the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry warning Saudis against investing in Turkey.
Chairman Ajlan Al-Ajlan took to Twitter to air warnings about the hazards of doing business in Turkey. He said his organization had received multiple complaints from Saudi investors who said their assets were under threat and that the Turkish authorities were not doing enough to protect them, the Saudi Gazette reported Sunday.
Al-Ajlan cited what he called the volatile security climate in Turkey and claimed Saudi businesspeople had been extorted by “influential entities there” and that Saudi tourists faced “increasing cases of harassment and fraud.”
Earlier this month the influential governor of Riyadh, Prince Faisal bin Bandar, was captured on video refusing a cup of coffee upon learning that it was a Turkish brew manufactured by Turkey’s oldest coffee maker, Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi. The video was circulated by a fellow member of the royal family, Prince Abdullah bin Sultan al Saud, who revived calls for a boycott of Turkish goods.
AL-MONITOR All-Access gives you unlimited access to all our journalism, the full Daily Briefing, exclusive interviews, premium newsletters, and live events — for less than $2/week.