Syrian President Bashar Assad on Sunday said that Damascus does not consider Ankara as its partner or a guarantor state of Syrian settlement as the latter supports terrorism and thus undermines political and social crisis settlement in Syria.
"[Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan is playing the role of political beggar after his support for terrorists was exposed. We do not consider the Turkish side to be a partner nor a guarantor nor do we trust it," Assad said in a speech at the opening of the Foreign and Expatriates Ministry Conference in Syria, as quoted by the SANA news agency.
The activities of Ankara in the region prompted criticism from Damascus, which says that Turkey's actions in the Syrian province of Idlib, the seizing of Syrian territory and building of camps to train militants in the area are a violation of Syria's sovereignty and UN Security Council resolutions.
The Syrian leader stressed that the country is not isolated and continues to cooperate with the outside world in rebuilding its economy despite some states' support for terrorism in Syria.
"There will be no security cooperation or opening of embassies or role for some states that say they are looking for a solution until they cut off their ties with terrorism in a clear and unambiguous way," Assad stated.
