Saudi King's first reaction to Jamal Khashoggi case
Saudi Arabia has faced intense criticism over the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey. King Salman, who had remained silent on the matter, stressed the strength of relations between the two countries in a call with Erdogan.
Saudi King Salman thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his country's proposal to form a joint investigation committee to find Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, in a phone call on Sunday, October 16. According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), King Salman stressed the strength of the Saudi-Turkish bond in his conversation with Erdogan, saying, "No one can weaken the strength of this relationship."
The Turkish presidential office also announced that in this phone call, the two sides discussed "the clarification of the Jamal Khashoggi case."
This is the first official response from the Saudi king since Jamal Khashoggi disappeared on October 1. Khashoggi went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul that day to obtain some documents, but never returned. He was planning to marry his Turkish fiancée and therefore wanted to obtain documents that would officially show his separation from his ex-wife.
The disappearance of this 60-year-old critical journalist, who had been living in the United States for a year and wrote for the Washington Post, has faced serious international criticism from Saudi Arabia.
Turkish officials have told the country's media that they believe Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate and his body was taken out of Turkey. They said a special team traveled from Saudi Arabia to Turkey for the purpose and immediately returned to Riyadh after killing Khashoggi. Saudi Arabia denies the accusations of murdering the journalist, but has yet to provide any evidence that Khashoggi left the consulate.
The ministers of Britain, France and Germany issued a joint statement on Sunday calling for a “credible investigation” into Khashoggi’s disappearance. They said they were taking the case “very seriously” and expected a “detailed and comprehensive response” from Saudi Arabia.
US President Donald Trump warned on Saturday that Saudi Arabia would face "severe punishment" if allegations so far about its role in Khashoggi's murder are true. A Saudi official responded to the threat on Sunday by saying the kingdom would retaliate against any potential sanctions imposed on the country.
Source: DW
