Turkey steps up efforts to nab killers of Saudi

Ankara has stepped up efforts to bring the murderers of a Saudi citizen in Turkey to justice, said a top Turkish diplomat.
Turkish Ambassador Yunus Demirer said here Saturday: “My government will do all it can to apprehend those involved in this heinous crime.”
Speaking on behalf of the Turkish government and its diplomatic mission in Riyadh, Demirer offered his “heartfelt condolences” to the bereaved family of Fahad Ibrahim Al-Doweirij, who was killed in the southern Turkish city of Mardin after a demonstration went on a rampage.
The bodies of the Saudi victim and a Syrian were found on Oct. 8.
He, however, said “this is an individual incident, which will not affect our ties.”
Turkish authorities have announced that the Saudi citizen and the Syrian national had been killed by a group affiliated with the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) group.
“I am extremely sad to hear about the loss of an innocent life,” said the envoy.
The Saudi Embassy in Turkey is also closely following up on the case, said an SPA report.
While expressing his sympathy for the victim’s family, Demirer also said that “the Kingdom and Turkey are closely working on a range of bilateral and regional issues.”
Arab News could not reach Turkish Ambassador Adel Merdad in Ankara despite making calls and sending text messages for more information, but a report published in Ashraq Al-Awsat daily, a sister publication of Arab News, quoted Merdad as saying that the Saudi envoy has called on the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to investigate the death.
The report said that the Saudi Embassy in Ankara and its consulate in Istanbul would closely monitor the investigation in cooperation with Turkish authorities.
Merdad said that the victim had been escorting his wife to the city of Mardin to visit her family when he, along with his brother-in-law, were attacked by a group of unidentified assailants.
He warned Saudi nationals to avoid traveling to southern Turkey.
Saudi Arabia and Turkey have forged closer relations in different fields, including the political and economic domains. Both countries are close allies, besides being full members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and World Trade Organization.