Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday stated that he still has positive expectations on the condition of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who has been missing for six days.
“I still have good expectations. We hope not to come across an undesirable situation about missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi,” he said.
“As president, I am following the situation. Whatever the result, we will inform the world of it,” he added.
Erdoğan told reporters that authorities were looking into all camera records and monitoring incoming and outgoing airport transits, but added that Turkey would await the results of the prosecutor's investigation.
Khashoggi, a former newspaper editor in Saudi Arabia and adviser to its former head of intelligence, left the country last year saying he feared retribution for his growing criticism of Saudi policy in the Yemen war and its crackdown on dissent.
On Tuesday he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to get documents for his forthcoming marriage. Saudi officials say he left shortly afterwards but his fiancee, who was waiting outside, said he never came out.
"The initial assessment of the Turkish police is that Mr Khashoggi has been killed at the consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul. We believe that the murder was premeditated and the body was subsequently moved out of the consulate," one of two Turkish officials said on Saturday.
He also stated that Turkey was far from needing an International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan or related technical assistance.
“Turkey is resolutely standing against attacks targeting its economic independence. Turkey has closed the IMF chapter, not to be reopened again,” he said.
“Our economic indicators are in a very good situation. Turkey’s path crossing with the IMF is out of the question,” he added.
The lira has lost more than 40 percent of its value this year over a diplomatic row between Ankara and Washington, which Erdoğan deemed an economic war.
