Saudi Arabia became more open to cooperation on slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s case after a call between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Saudi King Salman, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Tuesday.
Turkey will cooperate with any independent investigation by the U.N. or international courts and institutions on Khashoggi’s killing, he added.
Turkey has not shared evidence on Khashoggi case with any country, but there may be meetings between intelligence services, Çavuşoğlu added.
Çavuşoğlu said Saudi Arabia’s admission of Khashoggi’s killing was important, although late. The international pressure made the kingdom confess to the journalist’s murder, he said.
Khashoggi went missing on Oct. 2 after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
After days of denying to know his whereabouts, Saudi Arabia on Saturday claimed Khashoggi died during a fight inside the consulate.
The kingdom’s announcement that Khashoggi died in a “fistfight” was met with international skepticism and allegations of a cover-up to absolve the 33-year-old crown prince of direct responsibility.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Tuesday the kingdom was committed to a thorough and complete investigation to get to the truth behind the killing of Khashoggi.
Saudi Arabia had sent a team to Turkey for a joint investigation and “uncovered evidence of a murder” in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, the minister told a news conference in Indonesia during a state visit.
“We expressed commitment … to see to it that the investigation is thorough and complete and the truth is revealed and those responsible will be held to account,” Jubeir said at the joint news conference with his Indonesian counterpart.
“We will see to it … that procedures and mechanisms are put in place to ensure that something like this can never happen again,” he said.
