“We remain very troubled by the disappearance of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Those bearing responsibility for his disappearance must be held to account. We encourage Turkish-Saudi collaboration and look forward to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia conducting a thorough, credible, transparent, and prompt investigation, as announced,” the statement said on Tuesday.
The G7 foreign ministers as well as EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini have also affirmed their commitment to protecting the freedom of expression and free press.
Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, went missing on October 2. He was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul where he went to receive papers he needed to remarry.
Turkey has expressed concerns that Khashoggi could have been murdered inside the building, while the Saudi government has denied involvement in the case, claiming that the journalist disappeared after he left the consulate.
On Tuesday, the NTV broadcaster reported that the Turkish police had found evidence during their authorized search of the Saudi Consulate showing that Khashoggi had been murdered there.
Saudi Consul General in Istanbul Mohammad Otaibi has left Turkey for Riyadh amid the growing scandal around the disappearance of Khashoggi.
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