RIYADH: “Justice will prevail” in the death of Jamal Khashoggi and no one will be allowed to drive a wedge between Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pledged on Wednesday.
Khashoggi’s killing was the first issue the crown prince raised after he strode on to the stage at the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh.
“The incident was very painful for all Saudis. I believe it is painful for every human in the world. It was a repulsive incident, and no one can justify it,” Prince Mohammed said.
The crown prince said Saudi Arabia and Turkey would work together “to reach results” in their joint investigation into Khashoggi’s death, and he described cooperation between the two countries as “special.”
“There are now those who are trying to take advantage of this painful situation to create a rift between the Kingdom and Turkey,” he said.
“I want to send them a message that they cannot do this as long as there is a king named Salman bin Abdul Aziz and a crown prince named Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia, and a president in Turkey named Erdogan.
“We will prove to the world that the two governments are cooperating to punish any criminal, any culprit, and in the end justice will prevail,” Prince Mohammed said, to widespread applause from conference delegates in the hall.
Khashoggi, 59, a Saudi journalist resident in the US, was killed in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, after he visited to complete paperwork related to his divorce. Saudi Arabia has said his death was the result of a “rogue operation” by people acting beyond the scope of their authority, and 18 Saudis have been arrested. The investigation continues.
Speaking at FII, Prince Mohammed said it is time for Saudi Arabia to ‘restructure’ its security services.
