Qatar backs Turkish investigation into Khashoggi murder

Qatar has backed Turkey's calls for an international investigation into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi who was killed by a Saudi hit squad inside the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul last year.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Lolwah al-Khater made the remarks in an interview with Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah on Sunday.

"We support the measures taken by the Republic of Turkey to investigate Khashoggi's murder, and we encourage all relevant entities to cooperate with the investigation," Khater said.

"The State of Qatar added its voice to the list of countries calling for a thorough investigation to shed light on the murder of Khashoggi," she said.

She added that because the murder took place on Turkish soil it could not be viewed as a "domestic problem of the kingdom".

After weeks of denial, Saudi Arabia admitted that Khashoggi had been killed on October 2 after entering the consulate to obtain the paperwork necessary for his upcoming marriage to a Turkish woman.

Turkey has said the journalist was killed by a team of 15 Saudis who strangled him and then disposed of his body.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, was a fierce critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who denies any involvement in the murder.

Riyadh has arrested a number of senior Saudi officials allegedly involved in the murder and put them on trial but Ankara has called for an international investigation.

Since 2017, a Saudi-led bloc has imposed a land, air and sea blockade on Qatar, accusing Doha of seeking closer ties with Iran and of supporting extremist groups.

Qatar denies the charges and accuses the bloc of seeking regime change.

Khashoggi was critical of Prince Mohammed's aggressive foreign policy, including the blockade of Qatar.

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