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  • Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and a number of Arab countries have called for a boycott of French goods.

  • Now, while France has withdrawn its ambassador from Turkey, tensions over the issue are flying high in the Muslim world.

  • French dairy products, fish and drinks are no longer available in this store.

  • In the Yemeni capital, Sana, the shopkeeper, followed the boycott call from Turkish President Erdogan and other leaders in the Muslim world.

  • Many customers support the decision.

  • Um, any should boycott French products.

  • This is the least citizens could do for the sake of the prophet.

  • Any offensive to the prophet is an insult to the entire Islamic world way.

  • Call for all Yemenis to boycott American, Israeli and French goods e In many Arab countries like Syria, Jordan and Iraq, people took to the streets to show their anger against what they call French President Macron's anti Islam agenda.

  • That's something Turkish President Erdogan accused Macron of his boycott call has gone viral in many Muslim countries.

  • I'm calling on all my citizens just like they say don't buy goods with Turkish brands in France.

  • I'm calling to all my citizens from here to never help French brands or by them.

  • The French government is trying to calm the situation.

  • Nippon tradition Francis You boycotts are not part of the French tradition.

  • The best strategy is to calm tensions and explain things.

  • Way have a diplomatic corps that is perfectly suited to fulfill this mission on to remind people there is no battle against French Muslims but against Islamic terror, a visual control of terrorists.

  • But more Arab countries like Saudi Arabia are encouraging the protests and condemned the display of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed.

  • It's blasphemy in their eyes.

  • The French see it as freedom of expression.

  • But it was the key reason why one attacker beheaded the public school teacher.

  • Some well, Patty, Let's get more of this from Edl Yeltsin.

  • He's a professor of economics at the Constants University of Applied Sciences.

  • Welcome to the program at all.

  • The Turkish president and others calling for the boycott off French goods should the makers of those be worried now are important to bear in mind.

  • The rhetorical confrontations between senior politicians from Turkey and Frantz is a continuation off political tensions which have started much earlier.

  • We're not only talking about thes uh, freedom of speech.

  • There is also attention in the eastern Mediterranean where France send.

  • The navy took back Greece and Cyprus because Turkish vessels are explore conducting exploration which is illegitimate, alleged not not accepted from the European countries and the standing and the confrontation we see at the moment is a clear signal off President Macron, who considers himself as the spearhead off European countries.

  • He's no longer willed to make any compromise when it comes to political provocations and actions from Turkey.

  • So we are in a difficult situation.

  • But I have to emphasize when it comes to actions from the European side against Turkey, then this unanimous standing and backing off the France position turns out to be much weaker well.

  • But the boycotts they are spreading to the Middle East and beyond.

  • And France's largest employer Federation urged companies to quote resist the black mayor.

  • Could this grow into a full fledged problem for French companies?

  • I don't think that you know, it's very difficult to assess how, how, how important this is and how long this will last.

  • We have this in the past already between French companies and uh, Arab countries.

  • We had it between the US and front.

  • The more concerning aspect is in how far this tension between France and Turkey in particular is going thio damage and destabilize Turkey.

  • I mean, and here comes to the problematic point.

  • Two weeks ago in the European Council, uh, France insisted to impose sanctions, for example, against Turkey and Turkish behavior, together with Austria Cyprus in Greece.

  • But there was clearly an opposition from Germany from hungry for other countries which are more concerned about the stability of Turkey and less concerned about whether there will be, you know, like in the recent days, a problem in the Arab world with respect to the French economy and all.

  • The European Commission called on the Turkish president to change his approach in order not to derail the blocks attempts toe renew the dialogue with Turkey.

  • Does Mr Erdogan care about that?

  • Should he?

  • Well, I believe you know there is no everybody can see it, and I have been traveling through the Middle East in Turkey over the last two years.

  • Trust is no longer existing between senior Turkish politicians and major leading European politicians in particular.

  • Mr Macron is not going to cooperate at the moment with the Turkish government, but at the same time.

  • And I have to emphasize this putting aside, uh, with all the wrong behavior the Turkish president and the Turkish government.

  • Within the Turkish society there is a clear majority which is not going to accept also what is happening, for example in northern Syria standing off European countries supporting the Kurdish militia, uh, happenings in eastern Mediterranean that Turkey has to accept a territorial agreement which is simply not really understandable from the Turks perspective.

  • So, uh, there is the necessity for cooperation, but one should not only reduce the problem on the Turkish government, there is also the Turkish society on I'm very pessimistic that standing off Europe will lead to a solution Economist evaluation of the constant University of Applied Sciences.

  • Thank you for your insights.

  • Thank you.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and a number of Arab countries have called for a boycott of French goods.

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