(RIYADH, Saudi Arabia) — The Saudi crown prince is to make his first international speech since the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.
Mohammed bin Salman is to address the Future Investment Initiative summit in Riyadh on Wednesday afternoon.
The summit is the prince’s brainchild, an effort to draw much-needed foreign direct investment into the kingdom to create jobs for its young population.
However, this year’s summit has been overshadowed by the Oct. 2 killing of Khashoggi. Turkish officials say the writer was killed by a 15-man Saudi hit squad that included a member of Prince Mohammed’s entourage on overseas trips.
Saudi Arabia has suggested, without offering evidence, that the team went rogue.
Many international business leaders have pulled out of attending the summit over Khashoggi’s slaying.
