Assad Accuses Erdogan of Fueling Syrian Violence, Demands Turkish Troop Withdrawal

Syrian President Bashar Assad blames Turkey for the increase in violence in Syria and insists on the withdrawal of Turkish forces. Assad denies rumors of a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, stating that Erdogan's objective is to legitimize the Turkish occupation in Syria. Syria has been able to improve relations with some countries, including participating in the Arab League summit, but the United States opposes normalization without a political solution. Assad claims that behind-the-scenes dialogue with the US has not yielded results and that Syria has overcome US sanctions. The war in Syria has resulted in half a million deaths, over a million wounded, and the displacement of half the country's pre-war population.