Turkey-Saudi Arabia prosecutors meet to extend joint-investigation; world divided for and against the Kingdom

High-ranking Saudi and Turkish prosecutors engaged in a dialogue for 75 minutes to discuss the investigation into the killing of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi.  

The Saudi writer, a US resident, and Washington Post columnist had been missing ever since he entered the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul to fetch his documents on October 2.  The Jamal Khashoggi case has put Saudi Arabia in a bubble of denunciation by the International leaders and fetched global attention. 

Bringing attention to the recent progress of the event, on October 29, the top prosecutor of the Kingdom, Saud al-Mojeb, met with Istanbul’s Chief Public prosecutor at the main courthouse in Turkey. 

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Post the meeting, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stated that the information shared by both the prosecutors will be of leverage to the investigation. 

Both the countries are known to be running a joint investigation of the incident. But as per the reports of ANI, Turkey has been leaking material about the case to the media intentionally, to build pressure for a full disclosure from Saudi Arabia. Turkey is seeking the deportation of the Saudi suspects detained for the murder. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, however, said that the perpetrators would be tried in the Kingdom itself and brought to justice post the completion of the entire investigation. 

In their current narrative, Saudi officials depict the murder as a rogue operation run by agents who exceeded their authority. Some of those concerned in the killing are close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's heir-apparent whose condemnation of the killing has failed to relieve suspicions of his involvement. 

Khashoggi, a onetime Saudi insider and U.S. resident who lived in self-induced exile for almost a year before his murder, had criticised the Crown Prince in the Washington Post column. 

Overwhelmed by the international pressure, the Kingdom has altered their narrative about the killings multiple times; with their recent acknowledgment that the evidence put out by Turkey is premeditated.

Whereas, Turkey alleges a 15-member hit squad was sent to Istanbul to kill the journalist.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his country will reveal more evidence about the killing but is not in any rush to do so. 

READ| Jamal Khashoggi's Son Leaves Saudi Arabia, The US Praises Decision

Apart from Turkey, German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned Saudi’s lack of proactivity to the situation saying, “We expect transparency from Saudi Arabia on the circumstances of the death. Available reports on what happened in Istanbul consulate are insufficient.” Foreign Minister Heiko Maas also suggested that Germany may halt the export licenses on arms to Saudi Arabia.  

The European Union (EU) diplomat Federica Mogherini labeled the death of the Saudi journalist as “deeply troubling.” The United Kingdom and France, two of the biggest countries of the EU and the largest exporters of arms and ammunition to Saudi Arabia condemned the act too. 

Turkey has raised the strongest voice in criticising the incident, and currently, investigation for the body of the Khashoggi is in process. "Turkey will never allow a cover-up," a spokesperson from the Justice and Development Party (AKP) said.

''Khashoggi's Killing Is One Of The Worst Cover-Ups,” a statement that was initially released by President Trump, but the President denied scrapping the $110 billion arms deal with their ally, also their “biggest investors” with a total investment of $450 billion. 

Whereas, the Arab countries and few of the closest allies of Saudi Arabia like UAE, Bahrain, Egypt and Jordan have hailed the Kingdom.