Turkey: MHP leader voices concern on Khashoggi's fate

By Muhammet Emin Avundukluoglu

ANKARA (AA) - The case of a Saudi journalist who went missing last week in Istanbul was felt in the halls of the Turkish parliament on Tuesday.

"We are worried about the fate of Jamal Khashoggi," Devlet Bahceli, leader of the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), told his party's parliamentary group on Tuesday.

"If there was a crime [in the Khashoggi case], and if the criminals were identified, [Turkey's government] should do what is necessary," said Bahceli.

"Turkey is not a stage or route for mafia methods or bloody revenge," he added.

Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, has been missing since he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also expressed concern, saying on Monday that Saudi officials must prove whether or not Khashoggi exited the building after entering, as they claim.

Istanbul prosecutors are investigating the incident, while the consulate said on Twitter that it was working in coordination with Turkish authorities.

Bahceli also blasted U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks last Thursday suggesting that Saudi Arabia and its King would not last “two weeks” without American military support.

"What kind of scandal is this?" said Bahceli, calling Trump's remarks "ugly" and "arrogant."

"The U.S. president, with his irresponsible and unconscious manner, constantly causes disturbances to monopolize the future of the international community," he said, calling Trump a “global security issue.”

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has also blasted the remarks, saying his oil-rich kingdom will not pay for its security and is older than the U.S. itself.