Saudi King’s First Response to Jamal Khashoggi Case
Saudi Arabia is facing severe international criticism over the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist, on Turkish soil. King Salman, who had remained silent on the matter until now, emphasized the strengthening of relations between the two countries in a call with Erdoğan.
King Salman of Saudi Arabia on Sunday, October 22 (October 16), in a telephone conversation with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of Turkey, thanked the Turkish leader for his country’s proposal to form a joint investigative committee to find Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi critical journalist. According to the Saudi news agency “SPA,” King Salman, in his conversation with Erdoğan, emphasized the strengthening of the bond between Saudi Arabia and Turkey, saying “no one can weaken the power of this relationship.”
Turkey’s Presidential Office also announced that in this telephone call, both sides discussed “clarifying the Jamal Khashoggi case.”
This is the Saudi king’s first official response since Jamal Khashoggi’s disappearance on the tenth of Mehr (September 30). Khashoggi went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul that day to obtain several documents, but never returned. He intended to marry his Turkish fiancée and for this reason wanted to obtain documents that would prove his formal separation from his former wife.
The disappearance of this 60-year-old critical journalist, who had been residing in America for a year and was writing for the “Washington Post,” has subjected Saudi Arabia to serious international criticism.
Turkish officials told local media that they believe Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate building and his body was removed from Turkey. They said a special team traveled from Saudi Arabia to Turkey for this purpose and immediately returned to Riyadh after killing Khashoggi. Saudi Arabia denies the allegations of murdering the journalist, but has not yet provided any documents showing Khashoggi’s exit from the consulate building.
The ministers of Britain, France, and Germany on Sunday, by issuing a joint statement, called for “credible investigations” into Khashoggi’s disappearance. They announced that they are taking this case “very seriously” and expect a “precise and comprehensive answer” from Saudi Arabia.
Donald Trump, the President of the United States, warned on Saturday that if current allegations about Saudi Arabia’s role in Khashoggi’s murder are true, the country will face severe punishment. A Saudi official responded on Sunday to this threat, saying the country will retaliate against any possible sanctions imposed against it.
Source: DW
