"The meeting with [Turkish President] Recep Tayyip Erdogan will not take place under the conditions proposed by Ankara," he stressed, adding, "Holding talks with him [Erdogan] in the current situation would mean recognizing the Turkish occupation of northern Syria."
Assad also blamed Turkey for supporting terrorist groups during the conflict that began in Syria in 2011. "Ankara is responsible for the actions of gangs against civilians," he said. "The states that tried to create anarchy in Syria are also responsible for drug trafficking," he said, TASS reported.
Earlier, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad called on Ankara to end its military presence in Syria. According to him, "It is impossible to talk about the normalization of relations with Turkey under the conditions of the continued occupation of the northern regions of Syria."
On April 25, four-party talks were held in Moscow between the defense ministers of Russia, Iran, Syria, and Turkey. The sides discussed practical steps to strengthen security in Syria and normalize Syria-Turkey relations.
On July 9, Russian Special Presidential Envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev said that the leaders of Syria and Turkey could hold a meeting in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin after the completion of the roadmap for the settlement of Syrian-Turkish relations.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Assad underlined that relinquishing power is not on the table at all, as it would mean fleeing the war.
The Syrian president also said that his country managed to bypass the Caesar Act (US sanctions against Syria), but the image of war prevents investors from entering the Syrian market.
There are scenarios to create a terrifying situation in Syria, as happened with Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein, he concluded.
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