Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has lashed out at US President Donald Trump's stance on the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in early October.
"Trump's statements [on the Khashoggi case] amount to him saying 'I'll turn a blind eye [to the incident] no matter what'," Cavusoglu told CNN.
He added that the US had not notified Turkey of an audio recording related to Khashoggi's killing, a day after Turkish media reported that the CIA had obtained a recording in which Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman allegedly ordered that operatives "silence Khashoggi".
READ MORE: Turkey Accuses US of Trying to Hush Up Alleged Saudi Role in Khashoggi Killing
Cavusoglu's remarks came after Trump suggested that the whole world should be held accountable for Khashoggi's murder "because the world is a vicious place".
Speaking to journalists after his Thanksgiving teleconference with the military, the US President also insisted that the Saudi Crown Prince regretted the death of the journalist and that "the crown prince hates it more than I do".
On Thursday, Trump said the CIA "did not conclude" that Saudi Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder of Khashoggi, adding that "I don't know if anyone's going to be able to conclude the crown prince did it."
READ MORE: Turkish Media Releases Audio Tapes Allegedly From Khashoggi Killing
Earlier this week, Trump claimed that Mohammed bin Salman "could very well" have known about the incident but that Washington will remain a "steadfast partner" of Riyadh so as to ensure the interests of the US and its allies in the region.
Khashoggi was killed on October 2 while visiting the Saudi Consulate in Ankara, Turkey. Saudi officials initially claimed that Khashoggi left the consulate unharmed, but later admitted that was killed on the premises.
