S. Arabia holding Turkish trucks at customs for 12 days

By Mahmut Geldi

ISTANBUL (AA) - Saudi authorities have been holding 73 Turkish trucks at the customs border for almost two weeks without any justification, Turkish truck drivers caught in the economic vice told Anadolu Agency on Thursday.

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 with 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 spoke with her Saudi counterpart by phone about the matter.