Will Khashoggi’s disappearance rock Turkish-Saudi relations?
How Turkish President Erdogan discloses the official findings of the investigation into Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance will be crucial in determining the future of Turkish-Saudi ties.
The more time passes, the more mysterious the disappearance of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi becomes.
On Oct. 2 at 1:12 p.m., Khashoggi and his Turkish fiance, Hatice Cengiz, went to the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Turkish sources have offered conflicting details on what happened next. Al-Monitor spoke with senior security bureaucrats in Ankara who requested to remain anonymous.
Here is what we know and what we would like to know.
The first question: Why did Khashoggi need to go to the consulate for his upcoming marriage? The answer: He had to obtain an official divorce document before the marriage could take place. Khashoggi has been living in self-exile in the United States since last year, which leads to the next question: Why didn't he request this document from Saudi representatives in the United States? Independent sources in Turkey said: “He had applied to the US for the document but was told, ‘Your fiance is Turkish and you need to go to Turkey.’ He had visited the consulate on Sept. 28 and was told to come back on Oct. 2.”
