LONDON: Turkey and the United States denied on Friday that Ankara had shared with Washington an audio recording related to the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said an ABC News report, citing an unnamed source, that he had listened to a recording of Khashoggi’s death while in Istanbul on Wednesday was false.
Pompeo, who also visited Saudi Arabia this week, said he had neither seen nor heard such a recording.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also denied sharing any audio recordings with US officials.
“It is out of the question for Turkey to give Pompeo or any other US official any audio recording,” Cavusoglu said during a visit to Tirana, Albania. “It is out of the question for us to share with any country this or that information.”
“Of course, as a result of the investigation so far, Turkey does have some information and evidence," he said. "We will share them with the world when they become fully clear because the whole world, understandably, wants to know what happened to Khashoggi and how it happened.”
Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist who lived in the US, disappeared on Oct. 2 after visiting the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to complete paperwork related to his divorce.
Saudi Arabia and Turkey are carrying out a joint investigation into the disappearance.
On Thursday, Turkey called on the public to ignore any information claiming to be leaked from the case.
Since Khashoggi’s disappearance there has been a flurry of stories claiming to be based on leaks from the probe.
Pompeo said on Thursday they had given Saudi Arabia more time to complete the investigation to make sure they have a complete understanding of the facts.
Meanwhile: UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash stated in a tweet on Friday that the region’s security and stability depends on the Kingdom.
Gargash said there are “two scenes in the crisis that are targeting Saudi Arabia, the first is the search for the truth amid leaks and counter-leaks, and the second is the aim of targeting Riyadh and its position. In this, we stand firmly against politicizing, pre-judgment and attempts at undermining Saudi Arabia and limiting it role...”
He stressed the need to stand firmly against pre-judgment, politicizing and attempts to undermine the stability of Saudi Arabia and limiting its role.
In a separate tweet he added: “From our perspective, the region’s security, stability and role in the international arena depend on Saudi Arabia, and all the political, economic and religious importance it carries. From this point of view, it is necessary to distinguish between the search for the truth with all its significance and targeting Riyadh and its role.”
