President Al-Assad: We Positively View Improved Relations between Russia and Turkey

DAMASCUS– President Bashar Al-Assad said Syria looks positively at the recent improvement of relations between Moscow and Ankara.

President Al-Assad’s remarks came in an interview with the Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda that is due to be published at 1 am (Damascus time), according to SANA.

Answering a question on whether he thinks the Russians are making a mistake by trusting Recep Tayyip Erdogan after his forces’ shooting down of the Russian warplane, President al-Assad said “in fact, I positively view this relationship. We in Syria only wish that this rapprochement between Russia and Turkey, will enable Russia to make changes in the Turkish policy.”

 Asked about Israel’s role in the war and the fact that ISIS terrorist organization and Israel have never exchanged threats, President al-Assad said there is no contradiction between Israel and any organization like Jabhat al-Nusra, ISIS or any other al-Qaeda-linked group.