Saudi Prince Vows to Protect Turkey Ties After Khashoggi Death

(Bloomberg) -- Saudi Arabia will bring the killers of government critic Jamal Khashoggi to justice and will not allow such a “heinous crime” to damage relations with Turkey, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said.

“Saudi Arabia is carrying out all of the legal procedures to investigate and present the guilty to trial,” Prince Mohammed told an investment summit in Riyadh that has been marred by Khashoggi’s death. “Many are trying to take advantage of this painful incident to divide the two [Turkey and Saudi Arabia], but they won’t be able to do so.”

Shortly before Prince Mohammed took the stage for a panel discussion at the Future Investment Initiative, he spoke to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the killing of the Washington Post columnist, a one-time Saudi insider turned exiled critic. News of the telephone call appeared to calm growing speculation that Turkey was edging toward laying the blame at the brash young prince’s feet.

Speaking to a packed auditorium of at least 1,400 people, the smiling crown prince seemed relaxed and confident, his tone conciliatory but not defensive.

“The incident that happened is very painful for all Saudis, especially for Saudi citizens -- and painful for any person in world,” he said, adding that it was time for an overhaul of Saudi security services.

Saudi Crown Prince All Smiles at Summit as Erdogan Cries Murder

The comments appeared to dial back Tuesday’s escalation in rhetoric, when Erdogan made a speech timed to coincide with the opening of the conference in which he said the killing was premeditated and culprits should be punished even if they were senior officials.

Earlier on Wednesday, a close aide to Erdogan accused Prince Mohammed of having “blood on his hands.” Though Erdogan stopped short of naming the crown prince, whose ambitions for a modernized Saudi Arabia have been undermined by his penchant for making enemies at home and abroad, he said those who ordered the killing should also face justice.

An official at Turkey’s presidential palace told Bloomberg, however, that while Turkey wants the crime to be uncovered, it had no interest in interfering in Saudi internal affairs or trying to influence who becomes the next king.

The three-day business conference was meanr31
to be a showcase for new ventures and unveiling billion-dollar contracts to the world’s business elite, but the killing of Khashoggi prompted dozens of finance and business leaders to withdraw. After two weeks of denials, the kingdom acknowledged on Saturday that the 59-year-old was killed inside its consulate in Istanbul.

©2018 Bloomberg L.P.