Assad explains how Damascus deals with initiatives on Syrian-Turkish relations

Al-Assad said in a speech before the People’s Assembly on the occasion of the opening of the Assembly’s fourth legislative session: “The current situation is a global crisis, and its repercussions on us push us to work faster to fix what can be fixed away from the pain of wounds from a friend’s stab wound, and in this way we dealt with the initiatives regarding the relationship with Turkey that were presented by more than one party, Russia, Iran and Iraq.”

He added: “With every day that passed without progress, the damage was accumulating, not only on the Syrian side but also on the Turkish side. We proceeded in our dealings with these initiatives from our principles and interests, which do not usually conflict between neighboring countries if the intentions are not harmful. Sovereignty and international law are consistent with the principles of all parties serious about restoring the relationship, and combating terrorism is a common interest for both parties.”

He continued: “We did not occupy the lands of a neighboring country in order to withdraw, and we did not support terrorism in order to stop supporting it. The solution is to be frank and identify the location of the problem, not to be stubborn. How can we address a problem whose real causes we do not see? Restoring the relationship requires first removing the causes that led to its destruction, and we will not give up any of our rights.”

Assad stressed that “any negotiation process needs a reference to rely on in order to succeed, and the failure to reach results in previous meetings is one of the reasons for the absence of a reference. Syria constantly stresses the necessity of Turkey’s withdrawal from the territories it occupies and stopping its support for terrorism. The stage that Syria is talking about now is the stage of foundations and principles because its success is what establishes success later on, and the statements of Turkish officials are baseless, as our standard is sovereignty.”

Source: RT