The death of the prominent journalist in the Turkish Consulate General in Istanbul has now been officially confirmed by the Saudi Arabian government. Saudi authorities have arrested 18 Saudi nationals and have dismissed several senior officials following an initial investigation of the Khashoggi case.

“With the confirmation of the death we express our deepest condolences to Mr Khashoggi’s family and friends. Those responsible for his death must be held accountable,” said Mr Peters.

“While this is an important admission, the killing by government operatives is deeply disturbing. Many questions remain unanswered.”

“We look forward to the results of the investigation being led by Turkey and we urge Saudi Arabia to implement its undertaking to participate openly and transparently in that investigation,” he said.

MFAT officials met with the Saudi Embassy in Wellington on Tuesday to raise New Zealand’s concerns over Mr Khashoggi’s disappearance and have reiterated to the Saudi Embassy the need for the investigation to be full and transparent.

Trade Minister David Parker says as previously noted no New Zealand officials will attend the upcoming Future Investment Initiative ('Davos in the Desert') event in Riyadh.

“As for the trading relationship in the region the FTA talks remain stalled pending the Gulf Cooperation Council resolving their dispute with Qatar, which we do not expected to be resolved in the near future,” said Mr Parker.

“And the widely criticised Saudi sheep deal was an arrangement made by the previous government with a private sector partner, not with the Saudi Government,” he said.

The New Zealand government is awaiting the outcome of the Turkish investigation and is keeping all options for next steps under review.