Australia Refuses To Partake In Riyadh Forum After Khashoggi Death Confirmation -Statement

The official participation of Australia in the investment forum in Riyadh is not appropriate in light of the death of Saudi opposition journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Simon Birmingham said in a joint statement on Saturday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th October, 2018) The official participation of Australia in the investment forum in Riyadh is not appropriate in light of the death of Saudi opposition journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Simon Birmingham said in a joint statement on Saturday.

On Friday, Saudi Prosecutor General Saud bin Abdullah Muajab stated that Khashoggi had died as a result of a brawl with some people at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Muajab said that 18 people had been detained within the case, adding that the perpetrators of the killing would be held accountable.

"Australia deplores the killing of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, at the hands of Saudi operatives at Saudi Arabia's Consulate in Istanbul earlier this month ... In light of this new information, we have determined that official Australian representation at the forthcoming Future Investment Initiative ('Davos in the desert') event in Riyadh is no longer appropriate," the statement posted on Birmingham's Facebook said.

Khashoggi, known for his criticism of Saudi policies, has recently been working as a columnist for The Washington Post. The journalist was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Riyadh is investigating the journalist's disappearance together with Ankara. Turkish officials have said that the Saudi authorities were behind the killing of Khashoggi, something denied by Riyadh.

After Khashoggi's disappearance, many businessmen and media representatives that planned to participate in the Future Investment Initiative (FII) investment forum, which will be held in Riyadh on October 23-25, refused to attend the event. So, according to media reports, among them are JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and US Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin.