Saudi authorities have been holding 73 Turkish trucks at the customs border for almost two weeks without any justification, Turkish truck drivers stuck at the border told Anadolu Agency (AA) yesterday.
On Aug. 17 the trucks reached the Port of Duba in northwestern Saudi Arabia, which opens up to the Red Sea, after leaving Iskenderun on Turkey's Mediterranean coast, said the drivers, who asked not to be named due to security concerns.
After routine checks at the port, the trucks were transferred to an empty area next to the harbor surrounded by wire mesh, said the drivers, where they have been waiting for 12 days without any justification.
Some drivers have fallen sick due to the extremely hot air and high humidity, they said, adding that Turkey's Embassy in the capital Riyadh and consulate in Jeddah have both been closely following the issue.
In a similar incident, 85 trucks carrying Turkish goods were allowed in on Aug. 2 after being kept waiting at the same port for 12 days without any justification.
In that incident, Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan discussed the matter with her Saudi counterpart on phone.
Escalating tensions between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, more visible since the killing of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul last October, has recently led to the rise of anti-Turkey sentiment in the kingdom.
Earlier reports also said that the Saudi administration has called upon its citizens to not visit Turkey for tourism or invest in the country.
Saudi displeasure with its own citizens' interest in Turkey has forced the kingdom to spread false allegations to discourage people from visiting and spending their holiday in Turkey.
Each year hundreds of thousands of Saudi tourists visit Turkey, thanks to its milder climate, turquoise waters and location at the crossroads of the East and West.
Earlier, businesspeople argued that Saudi customs were deliberately holding Turkish products, highlighting that the reasons presented by the kingdom's officials have no basis in fact.
