After the talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara earlier in the day, Mike Pompeo commented on the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, noting that Washington takes the case "seriously" and stressing that Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan had made clear that Saudi officials were cooperating in the investigation into the missing journalist.
According to Pompeo, the US must be mindful in order to preserve good ties with Saudi Arabia as it considers any measures once the facts on the case are determined.
"If a country engages in activity that is unlawful, it's unacceptable. No one is going to defend activity of that nature. They need to simply say what happened," he added.
READ MORE: Saudis to Acknowledge Columnist Khashoggi's Death — Report
Previously, Riyadh let the Turkish investigators to inspect the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, stating that the journalist was not detained by within the consulate, and had left the building on October 2.
Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, went missing on October 2 after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Ankara stated that he could have been murdered inside the building, while the Saudi government has denied such allegations, claiming that the journalist disappeared after he left the diplomatic facility.