Turkey says Trump intends to turn a 'blind eye' to Khashoggi murder

Ankara: Turkey on Friday said President Donald Trump intended to turn a "blind eye" to Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder he said Washington's ties with Riyadh would not be affected by the incident.

"In one sense, Trump is saying 'I will turn a blind eye'," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in an interview with CNN Turk broadcaster, referring to Trump's continued support for Saudi Arabia, which has committed to billions of dollars in US weapons contracts.

Jamal Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, has been missing since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. The Saudi authorities said that Khashoggi died in a "brawl" in its consulate.

The country denied claims that the crown prince had knowledge of the operation. The US media have reported that the CIA believes Salman ordered the murder.

In an interview on Sunday, Trump told Fox News that he had refused to listen to a recording of Khashoggi's murder provided by Turkey and called it "a suffering tape".