After phoning Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the October 2 killing in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul which has triggered an international diplomatic crisis, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pledged there would be "no rupture" in ties with Ankara.
"The incident was very painful for all Saudis, it's a repulsive incident and no one can justify it," Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in his first comments since the journalist's murder.
"Those responsible will be held accountable... in the end justice will prevail," the heir apparent to the Saudi throne told a major investment forum in Riyadh, speaking in Arabic in his first public comments on the scandal.
Jamal Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi consulate in Turkey. Source: AAP
Three weeks since Khashoggi, a Saudi citizen living in self-imposed exile, disappeared after walking into the consulate to get some marriage documents the crisis shows no signs of abating.
Washington moved to revoke the visas of a number of Saudis even though the two countries have long been allies, with Britain following suit.
Saudi leaders have denied involvement in Khashoggi's murder, pushing responsibility down the chain of command.
'No rift'
But Turkey has been leading their own investigation and Erdogan said the killing was meticulously planned, calling for 18 Saudis who have been detained by Saudi authorities to be tried in Istanbul.
Erdogan spoke with Prince Mohammed in their first telephone conversation since the killing, a Turkish presidential source said.
The two discussed "the issue of joint efforts and the steps that need to be taken in order to shed light on the Jamal Khashoggi murder in all its aspects," the source added.
Speaking at the investment forum, Prince Mohammed said: "Many are trying to exploit the Khashoggi affair to drive a wedge between Saudi Arabia and Turkey".
"But they will not succeed as long as there is a king named Salman and a crown prince named Mohammed bin Salman."
Since becoming heir apparent last year, Prince Mohammed has won plaudits for reforms including to end a decades-long ban on women drivers.
But his image has been tarnished by Khashoggi's murder despite repeated denials he had any involvement. And Riyadh's changing narrative has triggered deep scepticism abroad.
US President Donald Trump said the Saudis had a "very bad original concept" in killing the 59-year-old Saudi insider-turned-critic.
"It was carried out poorly and the cover-up was one of the worst in the history of cover-ups," Trump said.
'Unravelling the case'
Turkish pro-government media reported Wednesday that Turkish intelligence had shared "all the evidence" with the CIA gathered from its investigation into the killing of the Washington Post columnist.
The evidence included video and audio recordings from the consulate and the consul's residence and were shared with visiting CIA chief Gina Haspel, Sabah newspaper reported.
The whereabouts of Khashoggi's corpse is still unknown.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman says the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi was heinous. Source: AP
State media in Turkey said Wednesday that Saudi authorities had denied permission to Turkish police to search a well in the consulate's garden.
Erdogan vowed Turkey would not allow the culprits to get away with their "savage murder".
"It is not over yet," he said. "We are unravelling, dismantling (the case) and the world is closely following."
