Leader of Turkey's opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu on Wednesday called on the government to expel Saudi Arabian diplomats in light of the recent disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul.
ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th October, 2018) Leader of Turkey's opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu on Wednesday called on the government to expel Saudi Arabian diplomats in light of the recent disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul.
Khashoggi went missing last week. According to the journalist's fiancee, Khashoggi was invited to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents needed for his upcoming marriage. The journalist's fiancee stayed outside waiting for Khashoggi for five hours before being told by one of the Consulate General's employees that her fiance had already left. Media reports have said that Turkish investigators believe the journalist was murdered inside the consulate, but Saudi Arabia has denied the allegations.
"Saudi diplomats ... should be expelled from the country. They should be declared personae non gratae. Turkey should not cover up for criminals," Kilicdaroglu said while addressing the CHP parliamentary faction.
According to the Saudi Consulate General, Khashoggi disappeared after leaving the building. The Saudi diplomatic mission has said that it is cooperating with the Turkish authorities to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the journalist's disappearance.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Saudi Arabia should prove that Khashoggi had, in fact, left the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
