German government spokesman Steffen Seiber
Germany on Friday urged Saudi Arabia to “fully cooperate” in Turkey’s investigation into the disappearance of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
“The German government is seriously concerned over Khashoggi’s disappearance without a trace, and sweeping suspicions [on the disappearance] are horrifying,” Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert told a news conference in Berlin.
Khashoggi has been missing since Oct. 2, when he visited the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, and several media reports claimed that he was killed at the consulate.
Seibert said the a prompt and extensive investigation should clarify the journalist's disappearance.
German Foreign Ministry’s deputy spokesman Rainer Breul said Germany’s expectations from Saudi Arabia on the matter were also conveyed during Foreign Minister Heiko Maas’s recent meeting with the Saudi ambassador.
“Freedom of press, protecting the safety and security of critical journalists is a concern for us. We are now expecting a prompt and reliable investigation,” he said.
A delegation from Saudi Arabia arrived in Turkey’s capital, Ankara, on Friday for the investigation into the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi.On Thursday, Turkish Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalın said Turkey had accepted a Saudi proposal to form a joint working group to investigate the case of Khashoggi.Khashoggi has been missing since Oct. 2, when he visited the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, amid speculation he was killed.Saudi authorities have yet to give a clear explanation on the fate of Khashoggi as several countries -- particularly Turkey, the U.S. and the U.K. -- press for clarification.Turkey has recordings proving Khashoggi was killed inside Saudi consulate: Washington PostTrump: Khashoggi disappearance no reason to stop Saudi investmentsMedia companies, journalists drop out of Saudi event after Khashoggi disappearanceBranson halts Saudi business talks over Khashoggi case
Saudi delegation arrives in Ankara for Khashoggi probe
Turkey has audio and video recordings proving that journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.“The recordings show that a Saudi security team detained Khashoggi in the consulate after he walked in Oct. 2 to obtain an official document before his upcoming wedding, then killed him and dismembered his body,” The Washington Post said.Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, has not been heard from since Oct. 2 when he visited the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, amid speculation he was killed by Saudi authorities.Trump: Khashoggi disappearance no reason to stop Saudi investments“You can hear his voice and the voices of men speaking Arabic,” this person said. “You can hear how he was interrogated, tortured and then murdered.Turkish officials have divulged the contents of the recordings to U.S. officials, according to The Washington Post.On the same day Khashoggi went missing, 15 Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while he was also inside, police sources said. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.Media companies, journalists drop out of Saudi event after Khashoggi disappearanceU.S. President Donald Trump expressed concern on Tuesday over Khashoggi’s disappearance.“I am concerned about it. I don’t like hearing about it. Hopefully that will sort itself out. Right now nobody knows anything about it. But there’s some pretty bad stories going around. I do not like it,” Trump told reporters on the White House lawn as he was returning from a trip by helicopter to Orlando, Florida.Saudi authorities have yet to give a clear explanation of Khashoggi’s fate, while several countries -- particularly Turkey, the U.S. and the UK -- have expressed their desire that the matter should be elucidated as soon as possible.Europe wants full probe over missing Saudi journalist'Joint Turkish-Saudi team to probe missing journo case'
Turkey has recordings proving Khashoggi was killed inside Saudi consulate: Washington Post
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he saw no reason to block Saudi Arabian investments in the United States despite concern over a missing Saudi journalist, saying the Gulf nation would then just move its money into Russia and China.Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House, also said the United States was expecting a report soon on the journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, but gave no other details.Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, has not been heard from since Oct. 2 when he visited the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, amid speculation he was killed by Saudi authorities.Video: Trump: Khashoggi disappearance no reason to stop Saudi investmentsOn the same day, 15 Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while Khashoggiwas also inside, police sources said. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.Saudi authorities have yet to give a clear explanation of Khashoggi’s fate, while several countries -- particularly Turkey, the U.S. and the UK -- have expressed their desire that the matter should be elucidated as soon as possible.Media companies, journalists drop out of Saudi event after Khashoggi disappearanceEurope wants full probe over missing Saudi journalistUber CEO to skip Saudi conference over Khashoggi case'Joint Turkish-Saudi team to probe missing journo case'Branson halts Saudi business talks over Khashoggi case
Trump: Khashoggi disappearance no reason to stop Saudi investments
Media companies are pulling out of a Saudi investment conference as outrage grows over the journalist who went missing inside a Saudi consulate in Turkey earlier this month.Economist Editor-In-Chief Zanny Minton Beddoes will not participate in the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh, spokeswoman Lauren Hackett said in an email.Andrew Ross Sorkin, a CNBC anchor and New York Times business journalist, tweeted that he was also not attending the conference, saying he was "terribly distressed by the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and reports of his murder."The New York Times Co has also decided to pull out of the event as a media sponsor, spokeswoman Eileen Murphy said. The Financial Times said in a statement that it was reviewing its involvement as a media partner.Uber CEO to skip Saudi conference over Khashoggi caseViacom Inc, whose Chief Executive Officer Bob Bakish is slated to speak at the conference, said it was closely monitoring the situation in Saudi Arabia.Other media companies slated to appear at the conference include CNN and Bloomberg according to the event's website.The disappearance of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Oct. 2 has cast a shadow over the three-day conference known as "Davos in the desert," which is scheduled to begin on Oct. 23. The Post is owned by Amazon.com Inc founder and Chief Executive Jeff Bezos.The event, in its sophomore year, attracts some of the world's business elite including Wall Street's top bosses and executives from multinational media, tech and financial services companies.Turkish officials have alleged that Khashoggi was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul where he went to get documents for his planned marriage. Riyadh has said the claims are baseless.JPMorgan Chase & Co CEO Jamie Dimon is scheduled to speak, as is Mastercard Inc CEO Ajay Banga. Representatives for both companies did not respond to requests for comment.Khashoggi's disappearance has led officials and business leaders to drop out of another one of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman's large projects.On Wednesday, former U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said that he had suspended his role on the board of Saudi Arabia's planned mega business zone NEOM until more is known about what happened.Moniz was named on Tuesday as one of 18 people advising the $500 billion NEOM project. The Crown Prince said last week that the NEOM business zone would build two to three towns each year starting in 2020 and be completed by 2025. Video: Footage shows Saudi journalist walking into consulate before disappearing
Media companies, journalists drop out of Saudi event after Khashoggi disappearance
The European Commission said Thursday it had conveyed its expectation of a transparent and comprehensive investigation into the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi to authorities in the Kingdom.“We’ve passed this message very clearly, not just publicly but also in direct contact,” Commission spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said in press briefing in Brussels.On Tuesday, EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini said: “We expect a thorough investigation and full transparency from the Saudi authorities on what has happened.”Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been missing since Oct. 2, when he visited the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.Saudi authorities have yet to give a clear explanation on the fate of Khashoggi as several countries -- particularly Turkey, the U.S. and the U.K. -- press for clarification.'US appointing investigator on Saudi journalist untrue'Turkey wants to work with Saudi Arabia in Khashoggi probe: FMTrump: US working with Turkey, Saudis on journalist probeSaudi royal family linked to 15-member squad suspected in Khashoggi’s deathMissing Saudi journalist dismembered with bone saw: NYT
Europe wants full probe over missing Saudi journalist