Ankara Blames Saudis for Lack of Cooperation in Probe Into Journo Disappearance

ANKARA (Sputnik) – The Saudi authorities are not cooperating on the investigation into the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and in particular, are not letting Turkish prosecutors to the consulate building, Turkish Foreign Minister said on Saturday.

"Saudi Arabia must cooperate so that prosecutors and experts can enter the premises of the consulate to investigate the case. We still do not see cooperation to ensure a thorough investigation and clarify this issue. We'd like to see that," the foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters as quoted by Daily Sabah.

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He also added that there was an agreement with Saudi authorities on the formation of the joint working group regarding the case.

Khashoggi, known for his criticism of Saudi Arabia's policies, has been working for The Washington Post. The journalist went missing in Turkey on October 2. According to his fiancee, Khashoggi was invited to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul but never left the diplomatic mission's building. The Washington Post reported that Turkey had shared with the United States audio and video recordings suggesting the journalist had been murdered in the Saudi consulate.

In its turn, Saudi Arabia denied any involvement in the disappearance of Khashoggi, saying that the journalist had left the consulate. Riyadh is investigating into the journalist’s disappearance together with Ankara.