New Yorker writer Robin Wright said on Wednesday that Turkey’s role in the investigation of the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is ironic and that there is much at stake for the country politically.
“It’s a bit of an irony because the largest number of journalists imprisoned in the world are in Turkey,” Wright told Hill.TV co-hosts Krystal Ball and Buck Sexton on “Rising.”
“Although there are elections in Turkey, which is nothing comparable in Saudi Arabia, for sure,” she said.
“There is a lot more at stake here than just the future of the crown prince,” Wright added, referring to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia. “There are regional dimensions that are at play as well. Saudi Arabia was gaming to be not just a power in the Gulf, but a power in the wider Islamic world. It is after all the guardian of Islam’s two holy places, and Turkey is the natural rival.”
Wright is a former correspondent for The Washington Post, CBS News and the Los Angeles Times.
Saudi officials say Khashoggi was killed in a physical altercation at the country’s consulate in Istanbul. They initially denied Saudi Arabia was involved in his disappearance.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Wednesday that the country was determined not to allow a “cover-up” into the killing.
“We are determined not to allow a cover-up of this murder and to make sure all those responsible — from those who ordered it to those who carried it out — will not be allowed to avoid justice,” he said during a speech in Ankara, according to Reuters.
Wright also highlighted the regional issues facing Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
“They have been at odds over policy — for example, in Syria and Qatar — and so Erdoğan, the president in Turkey, seems to be playing his cards very cleverly to better his relationship with the United States at a time there’s been deep tensions and sanctions imposed,” she said.
“Remember he, in the midst of all of this, released Pastor Brunson so there are a lot of other things that are playing out in the fate of Jamal Khashoggi,” Wright said, referring to American Pastor Andrew Brunson.
— Julia Manchester
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