Saudi Arabia offers Qatar rare praise as pressure mounts in wake of Jamal Khashoggi murder
SAUDI ARABIA’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) offered the nation’s neighbour Qatar rare praise as pressure continues to mount following the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Saudi prince: Wedge won't form between Saudi Arabia and Turkey
Qatar, despite the differences we have, has a great economy and they will be doing a lot in the next five years
While speaking at the Future Investment Initiative conference, also known as ‘Davos in the Desert’, the Crown Prince spoke highly of the Qatari economy.
He said: "Qatar, despite the differences we have, has a great economy and they will be doing a lot in the next five years."
He also pointed to the region’s economic potential.
He said that the "new Europe would be here in the Middle East".
The Crown Prince has been one of the key architects of the land, sea and air blockade of Qatar, along with the leaders of the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt.
The group has accused Qatar of supporting banned groups including the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as supporting terrorism.
Qatar has rejected the accusations, calling them baseless.
Due to the blockade, Qatar's only land crossing with Saudi Arabia was closed off and all other blockading countries shut down air traffic both entering and leaving the country.
Despite the embargo, Qatar established new trade relationships with the help of its foreign currency reserves and the high demand for liquid natural gas.
The Crown Prince has been facing growing pressure and criticism in the wake of the murder of Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
Originally, the Saudis denied any involvement in the attack and claimed he had left just hours after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
However, after two weeks of denial, the government changed their story to say it was a kidnapping gone wrong, but stated the Crown Prince knew nothing of the operation.
Despite this claim, many are still suspicious of the Crown Prince's involvement in the murder, with many believing it was intentional.
At the forum on Wednesday, MBS called the Khashoggi case "painful" and added that "justice will prevail".
He also called the journalist's murder a "heinous crime that cannot be justified”, and that anyone involved will be punished.
He said that Saudi Arabia and Turkey will work together "to reach results" and that it will not "drive a wedge" between the two countries.
MBS added: "We will cooperate with Turkey to discover the truth behind Khashoggi's killing."