Turkey and Morocco take a stand

At a time when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a boycott of French products that some Arab countries have followed after the publication of the cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad by the French newspaper Charly Hebdo, a boycott on Turkish products is being developed.   

Saudi Arabia is leading the operation at the expense of official tweets. One of the most eloquent ones is that of the head of the Saudi Chamber of Commerce, Ajlan al-Ajlan, who asked Turkey and its growing appetites to be isolated by avoiding any contact with the country since Erdogan. "A boycott of everything Turkish, be it imports, investment or tourism, is the responsibility of every Saudi ‘trader and consumer’, in response to the continued hostility of the Turkish government against our leadership, country and citizens,” he said. The hashtag of the boycott has been widely followed on social networks, but it will take a return to normal life and the re-establishment of airlines to see how far the boycott can go. As for tourism, Turkey is one of the Saudis' favourite destinations.   

The Prince Islands and more particularly Büyükada are very popular amongst the wealthy people of Riyadh and at the landing stage, the departure and arrival times of the boats are written in Arabic to satisfy this elite clientele.    

But for the time being, everything indicates that Turkey's isolation is being organised and Morocco seems to be following this path.    

Is the Cherifien kingdom on the side of Saudi Arabia or rather of France, whose relations are under high tension with Erdogan? In any case, Morocco has decided to revise the free-trade agreements with Turkey and to overload the Turkish products up to 90 per cent, which would make them unsaleable.  

The draft law signed on August 24 with Turkish minister Ruhsar Pekjan, and after being approved by the government council and submitted to the parliament for ratification, was approved.   

"Morocco has been Turkey’s largest export market in North Africa, hauling in 2.24 billion dollars in 2019, according to figures from the Turkish Exporters' Assembly," according to a report by the Middle East Eye.   

But this market seems to be more advantageous for Ankara than for Rabat. Furthermore, Morocco's trade and industry minister, Moulay Hafid Elalamy, has not ceased to criticise the agreement signed in 2004.   

But today everything seems ready to put an end to Turkish hegemony. Those who believe in a random calendar cannot help but think that the time seems perfect for Riyadh and Paris.   

In the sights of the Moroccan minister is Turkish retailer BIM. The Turkish food brand that exceeds all prices has never been able to compete so far, despite attempts by large and well-established retailers. The Hard Discount now has a wide coverage with 531 points of sale all over the country, which makes it the biggest retailer in terms of numbers. However, a few years ago, specialists had predicted its demise, but the discount company continued the offensive (at a loss) until its volumes allowed it to crush and reduce the cost of logistics. Today it is present in the most unlikely places in Morocco and is confirmed by its anchorage in small towns, such as Larache, in the north of the country.   

Would the BIM hours be counted today? The increase in trade flows between Morocco and Turkey, though leased for a time, has always been beneficial to Ankara. The deficit is estimated at 18 billion dirhams, according to Rabat.   
In these times of economic crisis, it is imperative to question the figures and the eloquence of these exchanges. At least 60 shops close each time the Turkish company opens a branch in their neighborhood, the Moroccan minister is said to have told the head of BIM. But is it the fault of the shopkeeper or is it the fault of Morocco, which did not protect its interests? It is true that small Moroccan companies were crushed by BIM and forced to close down, but this is not new. Apart from food and mass distribution, the Moroccan textile sector has been suffering for almost two decades without any solution.   

Many SMEs have been forced to close down and declare bankruptcy since the Turkish mastodon set foot in the country. The minister stressed that the dispute between Morocco and Turkey is “commercial” and mainly focused on textiles, noting that the number of jobs lost by Morocco in this sector amounted to 19,000 in 2014, 24,000 in 2015, 35,000 in 2016 and 44,000 in 2017. 

Turkish clothes and textiles have been taxed with 36% since last July. Will Turkey battle hard in these negotiations? Everything seems to confirm this in such uncertain times.