Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal has welcomed Saudi and Turkish efforts to jointly look into the matter of disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey.

The Foreign Office spokesman responding to a query about Pakistan’s stance on the issue said “we understand that the investigation was ongoing and it would therefore be appropriate to await the outcome.”

He said Pakistan has close and fraternal relationship with both Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

Earlier King Salman of Saudi Arabia telephoned President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey to thank him for welcoming the Kingdom’s proposal to form a Joint Investigation Team to look into the disappearance of Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi.

Khashoggi has been missing since he stepped inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

King Salman in his telephone call to Erdogan said “no one will undermine the strength of this relationship,” a statement from the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said late Sunday. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also appreciated the historical close relations between the two countries and the two peoples, the statement said.