Kashoggi murder seems forgotten
Erdogan hugs Saudi Crown Prince
04/29/2022, 08:48 am
In 2018, the journalist Kashoggi was brutally murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul – which put a lasting strain on relations between the two countries. But now that seems forgotten. Turkey is in an economic crisis and states a “new era”.
For the first time since the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul three and a half years ago, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in Saudi Arabia for talks. As the Saudi Arabian state news agency SPA reports, Erdogan spoke with the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about ways to “expand relations in all areas”.
Images released by Turkish state media also showed a separate meeting with King Salman, the crown prince’s father. Independent media are blocked on Erdogan’s trip.
Before flying to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia’s second largest city, Erdogan said he hoped for “a new era” in bilateral relations. In his view, “increased cooperation in areas such as defense and finance is in mutual interests”.
Turkey, which is in an economic crisis, has been trying to get closer to Saudi Arabia for several months. Only three weeks ago, the Turkish judiciary stopped its investigation into the Khashoggi case.
Kashoggi murder strained relationships
The 59-year-old government critic was murdered on October 2, 2018 in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul. He had an appointment there to prepare for the wedding with his fiancée, a Turkish citizen. According to official information from Turkey and the USA, a 15-man commando from Saudi Arabia was waiting in the representation, murdered him, dismembered his body and made the remains disappear.
A US intelligence report concluded that the Saudi crown prince and de facto ruler approved Khashoggi’s assassination. Riyadh rejects this and assures that the Saudi Arabian perpetrators acted on their own initiative.
The murder case had sparked international outrage and strained the already difficult relations between Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Erdogan blamed Riyadh for the journalist’s death at the time, but without directly blaming the crown prince.
Erdogan last visited Saudi Arabia in 2017 when he tried to mediate in a dispute between the kingdom and other Gulf states with Qatar. In February, he also traveled to the United Arab Emirates for the first time in almost a decade, where he called on wealthy business leaders to invest in Turkey. Relations suffered as a result of the 2011 Arab Spring coup.