Saudi Arabia, which has supported an unofficial boycott of Turkish goods since 2019, has closed five Turkish schools in Mecca and Medina, Sözcü reported.

Despite the best efforts of the Turkish authorities, Saudi Arabia closed schools at the end of 2020, a senior official from the Turkish Ministry of Education, Ahmet Emre Bilgili, said.

Diplomatic relations between Ankara and Riyadh remain tense after the political crisis over the 2018 Istanbul assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, prompting Saudi business groups, including the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, to call for a boycott of Turkish goods.

In October, following a statement by Turkish President Recep Tayyip, in which he accused some of the Gulf countries of destabilizing policies in the region, the Saudi Arabian government called on citizens to boycott everything Turkish, be it imports, investments, or tourism.