A Turkish prosecutor has called for a halt to the trial of 26 Saudi Arabian defendants accused of killing journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul amid hopes of improving relations with the Middle Eastern kingdom.

The prosecutor is reportedly attempting to transfer the case to the Saudi Arabian authorities and will ask for the opinion of the Turkish Ministry of Justice and set the next hearing for 7th April.

The prosecutor said the trial in absentia of 26 Saudi suspects “has been dragging because the court orders cannot be carried out on the grounds that the suspects are foreign nationals”.

Khashoggi, 59, was seen entering the Saudi consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul on 2nd October 2018 and never left.

The Turkish authorities believe the Saudi journalist’s body was dismembered and secretly removed in diplomatic bags. His remains have never been discovered.

Saudi Arabian officials said the murder was the act of “rogue” agents and imprisoned seven people for between seven and 20 years in September 2020.

However, none of the suspects were named and critics claimed the trial lacked transparency.

According to local reports, Turkey asked its Saudi counterparts for details about the case to avoid the same people being punished twice.

In response, the Saudi authorities asked for the case to be transferred to them and to lift the ‘red notices’ against the defendants.

The Turkish prosecutor believes the Saudi request should be accepted, as the suspects are foreign nationals and the red notices and arrest warrants could not be carried out, statements could not be taken, and the case has been left in limbo as a result.

According to a US intelligence report last year, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman authorised the operation to capture or kill the journalist. However, the Saudi government has rejected the findings.

Meanwhile, relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia have been strained since the 2018 killing, and President Erdogan said earlier this year that he was planning to visit the Middle Eastern kingdom for talks.