“We are talking about the Turks as fraternal people. Now I ask the Turkish people: "What is your problem with Syria?" What is the problem for which Turkish citizens should die? What hostile action - big or small - did Syria commit against Turkey during the war or before the war? He is not and never was, ”he said.
As the head of state noted, there are Syrian-Turkish marriages, families, vital common interests.
“In Turkey there are many ethnic Syrians, and in Syria there are many ethnic Turks. This mutual penetration of cultures is caused historically, therefore it is illogical that there should be serious disagreements between them and us, ”Assad added.
Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow on March 5 should lead to an immediate ceasefire in Syria.
As Erdogan noted at the end of February, he suggested that Putin leave Ankara “face to face” with the Syrian authorities.
According to him, Turkey entered Syria "not at the invitation" of Assad, but "at the invitation of the Syrian people."