Turkey – INA – Ipek Ozturk Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday that his country does not currently intend to refer the case of the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi to an international court. Davutoglu explained in a press conference with his Palestinian counterpart, Riyad al-Maliki, that “all those involved in the crime of Khashoggi’s murder must be investigated and tried in Turkey.” He added, “Ankara is obligated to provide all the information and evidence available to it to the relevant authorities, in the event that an international investigation is opened into the incident.” The Turkish Foreign Minister stressed that “Turkey, considering it a law-abiding state and people, has taken all necessary steps to reveal the details of the murder that was planned in advance.” He continued, saying, “All media and international organizations are closely following the Khashoggi case, and absolute transparency must be adhered to in this case, and we have provided anyone who wants to obtain accurate details about Khashoggi’s killing with information and evidence within the framework of the law.” He pointed out, “There are some questions awaiting clarification, the most important of which is disclosing who issued the killing order to the team involved in the crime, which numbered 18 people.” The Turkish minister pointed out that “the fact that Khashoggi’s body has not been found so far is one of the most important questions seeking an answer,” explaining that “the Vienna Convention stipulates that an investigation be conducted into Khashoggi’s killing in accordance with Turkish laws, despite the fact that the crime occurred inside the Saudi consulate, which is considered part of the Lands of the Kingdom. He stressed, “If the Vienna Convention stipulates this, then all those involved in the crime of Khashoggi’s murder must be investigated and tried in Turkey.”
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