Turkish Foreign Minister Mouloud Gawishoglu said on Thursday that the time had come for an international investigation into the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, stressing that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered the transfer of the case to an international level.
In an interview with Turkey's Al-Khobar television channel, Gawishoglu said Erdogan had ordered preparations for the transfer of the case to an international level and a UN special rapporteur would visit Turkey on Sunday in the Khashoggi case.
"It is time to open an international investigation, and the decision must be made to open a UN investigation of the UN Security Council, but we do not believe that such a council can make such a decision. The other option is to set up a fact-finding committee by the UN Secretary-General, General for Human Rights ".
Gawishoglu added that the scope of the committee's work could include Saudi Arabia, Turkey and a third country if required.
The Turkish minister accused countries he did not name of trying to cover up Khashoggi's murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October.
Gawishğlu has announced that his country will take the necessary steps towards international investigation in the case of Khashoggi, stressing that Saudi Arabia has not participated in any information to Turkey so far.
The minister said in a speech on Monday at the Youth Council in Istanbul Municipality that the strategy taken by Ankara forced Saudi Arabia to recognize the assassination of Khashoggi inside the Kingdom's consulate in Istanbul on October 2 last.
He said that his country acted in the investigation carried out out of its principles, accusing Western countries that they are trying to cover up the crime.
At the end of last year, Turkey informed the United States of the findings of the Turkish Procuratorate's investigation. Ankara has repeatedly asserted that the order was issued by the highest levels of the Saudi authorities and that the Saudi assassination team did not act on its own.
Turkey also demanded that Saudi Arabia extradite them to Khashoggi to be tried in Turkish courts.
The Turkish authorities repeated the request after Riyadh announced early this month the start of the trial of 11 accused, including five requested by the Saudi Public Prosecution to execute them, but the trial was challenged by the integrity of the countries and organizations.