Erdogan, Saudi King discuss Khashoggi case over phone

Security members are seen near police barricades in front of the Saudi consulate as the waiting continues on the disappearance of Prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Consulate General of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul, Turkey on 14 October 2018 [Şebnem Coşkun/Anadolu Agency]

In a Sunday night phone call, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz discussed the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Anadolu reports.

Erdogan stressed forming a joint working group to probe the case, said a Turkish presidential source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to media.

Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, has gone missing since he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on 2 October.

On that same day 15 other Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the building while Khashoggi was also inside, Turkish police sources said. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.

Saudi authorities have yet to give a clear explanation of Khashoggi’s fate, while several countries — particularly Turkey, the US, and the UK — are pressing for the case to be cleared up as soon as possible.

Read: Saudi threatens to retaliate against any US sanctions over Khashoggi disappearance

Consulate officers are seen at the entrance of Saudi consulate as the waiting continues on the disappearance of Prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Consulate General of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul, Turkey on 14 October 2018 [Şebnem Coşkun/Anadolu Agency]

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