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TEHRAN, October 10 -In a rare British challenge to Riyadh, the UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has asked Saudi Arabia for answers over the disappearance in Turkey of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) -Khashoggi was last seen visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last week, and Turkey says he may have been murdered there. However, this suggestion has been strongly denied by the Saudis.
In a phone call to Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, Jeremy Hunt warned Saudi Arabia that its friendship with the UK depends on “shared values,” after he demanded answers over the claims.
Hunt tweeted a message after meeting the Saudi ambassador to London, Mohammed bin Nawwaf bin Abdulaziz, on Tuesday.
It was the second time in two days that the ambassador had been questioned by the Foreign Office about what the Saudi royal family may know about the disappearance of one of the highest-profile critics of the Saudi leadership.
The ambassador discussed the incident with the permanent secretary to the Foreign Office, Sir Simon McDonald, on Monday.
“Violence against journalists is going up and is a grave threat to freedom of expression. If media reports prove correct we will treat the incident seriously – friendships depend on shared values,” Hunt added.
The United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia have long been close allies.
In March Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited the UK and signed a raft of business deals. During the visit the two nations launched the UK-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council, which involves £65 billion mutual trade and investment to be spread across sectors including finance, education, health care, renewable energy and defense.
But Britain also has good relations with Turkey. Last year it doubled its export finance program to Turkey to £3.5bn. With Britain about to leave the European Union, London is desperately seeking to boost trade and investment with Turkey to compensate for the expected loss of trade within Europe once barriers rise between them.
Source: Press TV
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