Assad Blames Turkey’s Erdogan For Terrorism In Syria
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the interview with Sky News Arabia. Source: the Syrian Presidency Office.
Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad blamed Turkey for terrorism in his war-torn country and insisted on the withdrawal of the Turkish military from Syria in an interview with Sky News Arabia that was aired on August 9.
“Terrorism in Syria is made in Turkey,” al-Assad said.
The president also denied rumors of an upcoming meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan despite recent progress in the normalization talks between their two countries.
Ankara is still the main backer of Syrian rebels. The Turkish military controls vast parts of Syria’s northern and eastern region. It also maintains a large presence in the northwestern region of Greater Idlib, which is ruled by an al-Qaeda offshoot.
Damascus insists that Ankara must put forward a timetable for the withdrawal of its military from Syria in order to normalize relations.
“Erdogan’s objective in meeting me is to legitimize the Turkish occupation in Syria,” Assad said in the interview. “Why should I and Erdogan meet? To have soft drinks?”
The Turkish and Syrian foreign ministers met in Moscow last May. During the meeting, an agreement to prepare a draft road map for the normalization of relations between Ankara and Damascus.
Turkish-Syrian normalization talks slowed down after the meeting. However, Alexander Lavrentiev, the special representative of the Russian President for Syria, revealed in an interview with RIA Novosti in June that Moscow had prepared the draft road map.
In July, Erdogan told reporters that he is open to talks with al-Assad but would not meet him if a withdrawal of Turkish troops from Syria were set as a condition.
Al-Assad’s latest remarks indicate that the major disagreements between Ankara and Damascus are yet to be resolved. Without compromises from both sides, the normalization talks, which are backed by Russia and Iran, will not likely move forward.
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