ANKARA, November 7. /TASS/. The Turkish Parliament has decided to remove food products made by companies that support Israel in the conflict with the Palestinians from all its cafes, canteens and tea shops, according to a statement on the parliament’s website.
The corresponding order to boycott these products was issued by the parliament’s speaker Numan Kurtulmus.
"The parliament has decided to support public concerns about the boycott of products from companies that openly declare their support for Israeli war crimes, which result in the death of innocent people in the Gaza Strip. As directed by the Speaker of Parliament, products from companies that support Israel’s genocide in Gaza will not be sold in canteens, cafes and teahouses on the territory of Parliament or its related facilities," the statement says.
According to the T24 news portal, drinks produced by Nestle and Coca-Cola will no longer be sold. Since Tuesday morning, employees and visitors to the cafe in parliament have not been able to order products from these companies. The stocks available in the warehouses of parliamentary facilities, as noted, will be returned to suppliers or taken out for storage to other warehouses.
Turkey has been a harsh critic of Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip, considering them a violation of international law and a crime against humanity. Many citizens of the country, as a sign of solidarity, hang Palestinian flags from balconies and attach them to cars, and some retail outlets in the republic inform the population that they are refusing to sell Israeli goods.
The criticism also extends to countries whose authorities support Israel. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who visited Ankara on November 5-6, was given a cold reception, since no one from the country’s top leadership met him at the airport. Blinken was greeted only by the deputy head of Ankara province, and subsequently Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan avoided hugging his colleague in front of cameras. Footage from a protocol shoot at the Turkish Foreign Ministry shows a metal figurine depicting the Al-Aqsa Mosque, a crescent and a star, which is positioned in the frame next to Blinken.