07:48Russia: 'Priority of Turkey is elections' while Syria’s is 'withdrawal of troops' - Assad on bilateral difficulties
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad spoke of his country’s difficult relationship with Turkey and what he saw as the reasons behind it, during an interview with RT Arabic on his visit to Moscow on Thursday.
"The priority of Turkey and its president is elections," Assad claimed. "There are no other priorities, everything serves the interests of elections. As for Syria, our priority is withdrawal of troops and restoration of sovereignty, so everything serves the purpose of withdrawal and restoration of sovereignty."
He said that he believed there was no real disagreement between the two nations, citing the joint suffering experienced during the recent earthquakes in both countries in February.
"The problem is related to Turkish politicians who have their own ambitions, which they want to realise through the war in Syria," he alleged.
He also said that he hoped that coming elections in Turkey could be an 'earthquake' that "would encourage the Turkish leadership to go for a rapprochement with Syria."
While discussing the relationship between Syria and the West, Assad said that "even when relations were good, there were lies and hypocrisy from the West regarding Syria." He also claimed that Western countries had not provided any assistance to his country.
Following the earthquakes, Assad’s administration blamed Western sanctions for hampering the relief effort. The US announced a temporary lifting of restrictions, having previously said aid would be routed through humanitarian groups on the ground.
During the interview, the president also noted that "American influence in the world is gradually diminishing", but "this does not mean that the US has ceased to be the world's superpower."
When asked what he had discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Assad said the meeting was 'well-timed', given the political situation. He added that from the point of view of Syria and Russia’s national interests, the economic agenda becomes 'more important than any other'.
"If we do not have time to discuss and develop a common vision and then a plan of action in time, these events will overtake us and we will lose a lot," he said.
The most recent conflict between Damascus and Ankara began in Spring 2011 following Turkey's condemnation of the civil unrest in Syria. The Turkish government's involvement gradually evolved into border clashes in 2012 and military intervention, which has resulted in Turkish occupation of northern Syria since 2016. The European Union and the United States, as well as other countries, also imposed economic sanctions and restrictions against Syria from 2011 onwards.
07:48For Russian media mandatory logo. No access EU media/EU territory. For further info please contact CD ru@ruptly.tv
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad spoke of his country’s difficult relationship with Turkey and what he saw as the reasons behind it, during an interview with RT Arabic on his visit to Moscow on Thursday.
"The priority of Turkey and its president is elections," Assad claimed. "There are no other priorities, everything serves the interests of elections. As for Syria, our priority is withdrawal of troops and restoration of sovereignty, so everything serves the purpose of withdrawal and restoration of sovereignty."
He said that he believed there was no real disagreement between the two nations, citing the joint suffering experienced during the recent earthquakes in both countries in February.
"The problem is related to Turkish politicians who have their own ambitions, which they want to realise through the war in Syria," he alleged.
He also said that he hoped that coming elections in Turkey could be an 'earthquake' that "would encourage the Turkish leadership to go for a rapprochement with Syria."
While discussing the relationship between Syria and the West, Assad said that "even when relations were good, there were lies and hypocrisy from the West regarding Syria." He also claimed that Western countries had not provided any assistance to his country.
Following the earthquakes, Assad’s administration blamed Western sanctions for hampering the relief effort. The US announced a temporary lifting of restrictions, having previously said aid would be routed through humanitarian groups on the ground.
During the interview, the president also noted that "American influence in the world is gradually diminishing", but "this does not mean that the US has ceased to be the world's superpower."
When asked what he had discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Assad said the meeting was 'well-timed', given the political situation. He added that from the point of view of Syria and Russia’s national interests, the economic agenda becomes 'more important than any other'.
"If we do not have time to discuss and develop a common vision and then a plan of action in time, these events will overtake us and we will lose a lot," he said.
The most recent conflict between Damascus and Ankara began in Spring 2011 following Turkey's condemnation of the civil unrest in Syria. The Turkish government's involvement gradually evolved into border clashes in 2012 and military intervention, which has resulted in Turkish occupation of northern Syria since 2016. The European Union and the United States, as well as other countries, also imposed economic sanctions and restrictions against Syria from 2011 onwards.