Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif
Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Monday hailed the Turkish stance on the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
“The Turkish government examines the wicked case from different dimensions and pursues the process cautiously, impartially and skillfully,” Zarif told reporters.
“We hope the perpetrators will be identified at the end of the investigation,” he said.
Zarif arrived in Istanbul on Monday to attend a trilateral ministerial meeting between Turkey, Iran and Azerbaijan and the opening of Istanbul’s third airport.
Zarif said the ministerial meeting will be a “very good chance” to exchange idea for expanding economic cooperation between the three countries.
Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, had gone missing since entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.
After weeks of denying any knowledge of his whereabouts, Saudi officials on Oct. 20 admitted that Khashoggi had died inside the consulate building.
Turkish police have been investigating the case, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said 18 people arrested in Saudi Arabia over the killing should be sent to Turkey to face trial.
Turkey believes Saudi and Turkish prosecutors sharing information on the investigation into the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is useful, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoglu said on Monday, adding that the cooperation should continue.He also called on the Kingdom to reveal the whole truth on the killing of the journalist.He made the comments during a news conference with Azeri and Georgian foreign ministers. He said Saudi had proposed the visit from its public prosecutor to Turkey and called on the kingdom to conclude the investigation as soon as possible.“This is our concern. This investigation should be concluded as soon as possible,” Cavusoglu said, adding the whole world was waiting for it.Earlier Monday, Saudi Arabia’s Chief Prosecutor Saud Al-Mujeb and the delegation accompanying him held a meeting with Turkey’s Chief Public Prosecutor Irfan Fidan at the Istanbul Çağlayan Courthouse over Khashoggi’s killing.Jamal Khashoggi vanished after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage.Soon after he went missing, Turkish officials said 15 Saudis arrived in Istanbul on the day of his disappearance in two planes and visited the consulate while he was still inside.Khashoggi was a U.S. resident who wrote columns for the Washington Post and a critic of the Saudi government, calling for reforms.After denying any involvement in the disappearance of Khashoggi, 59, for two weeks, Saudi Arabia on Oct. 20 said he had died in a fistfight.Since then, Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor said Khashoggi’s killing was premeditated, contradicting the previous official statement that it happened accidentally during a tussle in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Turkish FM calls on Saudi Arabia to reveal 'whole truth' on Khashoggi killing
The Saudi public prosecutor heading the investigation into the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi met with the chief prosecutor of Istanbul on Monday.The meeting lasted around 75 minutes.Saud al-Mujeb, Saudi’s top prosecutor, came to Istanbul in early hours of Monday to meet Istanbul’s Chief Public Prosecutor Irfan Fidan.President Tayyip Erdoğan said on Saturday that Turkey values the outcome of the talks between the two prosecutors.The Saudi prosecutor will also inspect the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, had gone missing since entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.After weeks of denying any knowledge of his whereabouts, Saudi officials on Oct. 20 admitted that Khashoggi had died inside the consulate building.Saudi public prosecutor arrives in Istanbul overnight
Saudi prosecutor heading Khashoggi probe meets Turkish counterpart in Istanbul