Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has accused Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government of supporting “terrorism” in the region.
Erdogan’s government “supports terrorism, extremism and destabilization in the region,” AFP quoted Assad as telling a delegation of Turkey’s mainstream opposition Republican People’s Party in Damascus on Thursday.
He, however, said, “The Syrian people appreciates the position adopted by forces and parties in Turkey that reject the Erdogan government’s negative impact on our societies, which are multi-religious and multi-ethnic.”
In the meeting, the Turkish delegation underscored the Turkish people’s refusal to “interfere in Syrian affairs, and a commitment to good neighborly relations.”
Damascus has officially asked the United Nations to condemn Ankara’s role in the Syrian crisis.
In a letter, the Syrian government has said it expects the international community to “fulfill its responsibilities clearly and sincerely, and denounce the role of the Turkish government and other states that fund the Al-Qaeda-linked terrorist groups, while bearing them responsible for what is happening in Syria.”
Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of Army and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.
The Syrian government has said that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and that a very large number of the militants operating in the country are foreign nationals.
Ankara has openly voiced support for militants fighting against the Syrian government.
