Major steps ongoing to normalize ties with Saudi Arabia: Turkish foreign minister

By Basak Akbulut Yazar

ANKARA (AA) - Important steps are ongoing to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia, Turkiye's foreign minister said on Thursday.

"We didn't have a negative attitude towards Saudi Arabia in terms of normalizing relations, either commercially, economically, or politically," Mevlut Cavusoglu told Turkish news broadcaster A Haber in a televised interview.

Underlining that steps are being taken to revive ties between the two countries, he said: "I can say that concrete steps will be taken on this issue in the coming period."

Cavusoglu added that progress had been made in cooperation between the two countries' judicial institutions, despite a previous lack of constructiveness on the Saudi side.

- Request for transfer of Khashoggi murder case

A Turkish prosecutor pursuing the 2018 murder trial of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul asked the court on Thursday to finalize proceedings in Turkiye and transfer the case to Saudi judicial authorities.

The 26 fugitive defendants, who have arrest warrants, did not attend Thursday's hearing at the Istanbul High Criminal Court.

Postponing the hearing, the court decided to ask the Turkiye's Justice Ministry for its opinion on the transfer.

Turkiye and Saudi Arabia had seen their ties deteriorating in recent years over foreign policy. Tensions increased following Khashoggi's 2018 murder in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.