Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that ISIS and the Assad regime share common characteristics, referring to the fact that ISIS sells oil to the Assad regime through intermediaries holding the Syrian and Russian citizenships.
“Do not be deceived by the show of conflict between them. Daesh (ISIS) is selling oil to the regime. Syrian and Russian citizens buy oil from Daesh and sell it to the regime and the world,” President Erdogan stressed.
President Erdogan noted that approximately 400,000 people had been killed and 12 million people had been displaced as a result of the ongoing conflict in Syria. He said that Turkey has been implementing an open-door policy since the conflict in Syria broke out in 2011. “In the face of those, who approach this issue solely with the concern of maintaining their safety and protecting their interest, we continue to preserve our humanitarian stance,” President Erdogan said.
“The blood of every innocent victim is on the hands of those who pursue keeping the Assad regime in power, the root cause of the problem, instead of sharing Turkey’s burden. The terrorist organization Daesh has turned into a tool, a puppet, an excuse, used by everyone that has plans for the region,” President Erdogan added.
President Erdogan made it clear that “forming a terror-free safe zone and training and equipping the moderate opposition were the only way to carry out an effective campaign against Daesh and the Assad regime. Using a terrorist organization against another terrorist organization would only cause more problems.”
President Erdogan underlined that the solution was to restore a safe environment, in which the Syrian people could build their own future. (Source: Anadolu Agency)
