FILE PHOTO: New Zealand’s Minister for Trade and Export Growth David Parker speaks to reporters during a news conference regarding the revised text for the recently agreed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in Wellington, New Zealand, February 21, 2018. REUTERS/Charlotte Greenfield

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand condemns the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi operatives and will not be attending an investment summit in Saudi Arabia, the government said in a statement on Sunday.

Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist critical of Riyadh’s policies, died inside the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Saudi state media said on Saturday.

Trade Minister David Parker said in the statement no New Zealand officials will attend the upcoming Future Investment Initiative, an event in the Saudi capital of Riyadh being called Davos in the Desert.