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Erdogan’s boycott call against France more grandstanding than economic threat

The pressing economic grievances of the Turkish public and deep-rooted business links with France are likely to far outweigh any Turkish enthusiasm to boycott French goods.
This picture taken on October 26, 2020 in Istanbul shows a French car Renault in the Istiklal street. - Turkish President joined calls for a boycott of French goods, on October 26, 2020, ramping up a standoff between France and Muslim countries over Islam and freedom of speech. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP) (Photo by YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images)
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Amid a simmering row with his French counterpart, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged the nation to boycott French goods, but few are likely to heed his appeal as economic turmoil is Turks' real preoccupation and many owe their jobs to joint ventures with the French.

To many Turks, Erdogan’s bashing of French President Emmanuel Macron resonates as an attempt to distract the public from the country’s economic woes, which have snowballed since 2018, when Erdogan assumed sweeping powers as an executive president. 

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