Germany urges Riyadh to cooperate on missing journalist

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN (AA) - Germany on Friday urged Saudi Arabia to “fully cooperate” in Turkey’s investigation into the disappearance of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

“The German government is seriously concerned over Khashoggi’s disappearance without a trace, and sweeping suspicions [on the disappearance] are horrifying,” Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert told a news conference in Berlin.

Khashoggi has been missing since Oct. 2, when he visited the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, and several media reports claimed that he was killed at the consulate.

Seibert said the a prompt and extensive investigation should clarify the journalist's disappearance.

German Foreign Ministry’s deputy spokesman Rainer Breul said Germany’s expectations from Saudi Arabia on the matter were also conveyed during Foreign Minister Heiko Maas’s recent meeting with the Saudi ambassador.

“Freedom of press, protecting the safety and security of critical journalists is a concern for us. We are now expecting a prompt and reliable investigation,” he said.