File photo
Turkey's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that the investigation into Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who has been missing since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul a week ago, is "continuing intensively".
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said in a written statement that although the Vienna convention states that consulate buildings have immunity, they can be searched by host country authorities with the consent of the mission chief.
"The consulate building will be searched in the framework of the investigation," the statement said.
Aksoy in the statement further asserted that Turkish judiciary, intelligence, and security units are "closely following" the developments on Khashoggi incident since it happened.
He assured that relevant authorities are conducting "intense investigation" in efforts to reveal the fate of the journalist.
Khashoggi, journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, has been missing since he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.
Turkish police investigating the case of the missing journalist had said in a statement Saturday that 15 Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and entered the consulate while Khashoggi was inside.
Istanbul prosecutors are investigating the incident, while the consulate said on Twitter that it was working in coordination with Turkish authorities.
Video footage of the moments missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed in the consulate exists, according to Yeni Şafak daily’s colomnist Kemal Öztürk.“The Saudi consulate says they have no [video] recordings. The Saudi consulate says that they don’t have any footage. But we [Turkey] have our own cameras. There are claims that there is a video of the moments Jamal Khashoggi was killed. I haven’t seen it, nobody has,” Öztürk said during a TVNET program.“Every embassy and consulate has security officials stationed in front. Some of them are intelligence. The embassies of high-risk states are under surveillance. The embassy or consulate has its own security system, but so does Turkey, because its safety has been entrusted to Turkey and so it is responsible if anything happens. Turkey protects them diligently. Both physical and technical protection. There's a record of entry and exit,” he added.Possible last moments of missing Saudi journalist revealed Khashoggi, journalist and columnist for The Washington Post who has lived in self-imposed exile in Washington for the past year fearing retribution for his criticism of Saudi policies, has been missing since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Turkish police investigating the case said Saturday that 15 Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and entered the consulate while Khashoggi was inside.Turkish sources also said that Turkish authorities believe Khashoggi was deliberately killed inside the consulate, a view echoed by one of Erdogan's advisers, Yasin Aktay, who is a friend of the Saudi journalist.Speaking to journalists in front of the Consulate General of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul on Sunday, Turan Kışlakçı -- head of the Turkish-Arab Media Association (TAM) -- said they were informed that Jamal Khashoggi was “brutally murdered.”“After the statements of unnamed security forces and Turan Kışlakçı, whoever ordered the execution must prove that Jamal Khashoggi was killed. If you remember, the same happened in Syria and the photos were published by Anadolu Agency. They stamped every Syrian opposition that they killed and gave them a number and photographed them. I was so surprised by this; you killed them, why did you number them?” Öztürk said.Pompeo calls on Saudi govt to investigate Khashoggi disappearancePressure Saudis on Khashoggi case: Yemeni Nobel winnerSaudi Arabia must show journalist made exit: ErdoğanSaudis to pay price if journalist killed: US senatorTrump ‘concerned’ over fate of Saudi journalist
Claims emerge that footage of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder exists
The Washington Post on Tuesday published a surveillance image revealing missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi walking into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, just before he disappeared.The image also bore a date and time stamp reading, 2018-10-02, 13:14 p.m.The Post said "a person close to the investigation" had shared the image with them.Khashoggi, journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, has been missing since he entered the consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.Khashoggi, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Washington for the past year fearing retribution for his criticism of Saudi policies, went to the consulate last week to secure documents for his forthcoming marriage, according to his fiancée, who waited outside. He has not been heard of since.Turkish authorities believe he was murdered within the consulate walls, but the Saudi government has refused the claims and said accusations were baseless.On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan urged the Saudi consulate to prove whether or not Khashoggi exited the building after entering, saying that consulate officials "can't get away with [simply] saying 'he left the building.'"Turkish police also said that 15 Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and entered the consulate while Khashoggi was inside.Pompeo calls on Saudi govt to investigate Khashoggi disappearancePressure Saudis on Khashoggi case: Yemeni Nobel winnerSaudi Arabia must show journalist made exit: ErdoğanSaudis to pay price if journalist killed: US senatorTrump ‘concerned’ over fate of Saudi journalist
Possible last moments of missing Saudi journalist revealed
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday called on the government of Saudi Arabia to support "a thorough investigation" of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance and to be transparent about the results of that investigation.The disappearance of Khashoggi, previously a prominent newspaper editor in Saudi Arabia, has sparked global concern, particularly after Turkish sources said over the weekend that authorities believed he was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Pressure Saudis on Khashoggi case: Yemeni Nobel winnerSaudi Arabia must show journalist made exit: ErdoğanSaudis to pay price if journalist killed: US senator
Pompeo calls on Saudi govt to investigate Khashoggi disappearance
The Saudi Consulate in Istanbul should prove whether or not missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi exited the building after entering last Tuesday, Turkey's president said on Monday."It is our humanitarian and political duty to closely follow the issue," Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in Budapest during a joint press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban."There are some people that came from Saudi Arabia [that day]. The public prosecutor's office is looking into the issue," he said, adding that footage from airports is being studied.Addressing the Saudi version of events, Erdoğan said: "The Saudi Consulate officials in Istanbul can't get away with [simply] saying 'he left the building.’ The claimants are obligated to prove their claims. If he left the building, then you need to prove it."Saudis to pay price if journalist killed: US senatorKhashoggi, journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, has been missing since he entered the consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.Turkish police investigating the case said Saturday that 15 Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and entered the consulate while Khashoggi was inside.Istanbul prosecutors are investigating the incident, while the consulate said on Twitter that it was working in coordination with Turkish authorities.Turkey on Monday said it expects "full cooperation" from Saudi authorities in finding the missing journalist.EU membership processOn Turkey’s EU membership process, Erdoğan called for sincerity, stating that it needs to be clear whether or not the EU will accept Turkey."Turkey has been stalled since 1963. No EU member state was treated in such a way," he added.In 1963 the Ankara Agreement between Turkey and the European Economic Community -- a predecessor to the EU -- established an association between Turkey and the bloc.Turkey applied for membership in the EEC in 1987, and it became eligible for EU membership in 1997. Accession talks began in 2005.But talks stalled in 2007 due to objections from the Greek Cypriot administration on the divided island of Cyprus, as well as opposition from Germany and France.On the refugee situation in Turkey, Erdoğan said that there are currently nearly 3.5 million Syrians in Turkey, while some 250,000 have returned to Jarabulus, Afrin, and Al-Bab -- areas liberated from terrorists in a Turkish-led operation -- and more than 60,000 to Idlib.Turkey, Hungary ties gather momentumHungary's security 'directly related to Turkey'For his part, Orban said that Hungary’s security is “directly related to Turkey.”“A stable government leading in Turkey is also a guarantor of Hungary’s security,” he said.Stating that Turkey, like Hungary, lies along migration routes, Orban said that it is important for Hungary that Turkey is stable to establish peace in the region and deter irregular migration.Stressing the importance of the 2016 EU-Turkey migrant deal for the security of the European continent, Orban said that Hungary must also show its alliance with Turkey.In March 2016, EU and Turkey reached an agreement to stop irregular migration through the Aegean Sea and improve the conditions of more than 3 million Syrians in Turkey.The EU pledged €6 billion ($7.44 billion) in funding for the refugees, including a €3 billion ($3.72 billion) tranche by the end of 2018. Turkey hosts some 3.5 million Syrians, more than any other country in the world.While spending around $25 billion helping and sheltering refugees since the beginning of the Syrian civil war, Ankara has complained of the EU dragging its feet in providing the funds it promised.“We have to congratulate Turkey for opening its doors to millions of refugees,” said Orban.
Saudi Arabia must show journalist made exit: Erdoğan