There is no change in Turkey's policy over Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Thursday, insisting that the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must go.
"Certain circles showcase threats of Al-Qaeda and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) so as to manufacture a perception that the Assad regime is the lesser of two evils, trying to cover up the oppression of a regime which is responsible for the killings of over 150,000 people," Davutoglu said in a televised interview.
"Can a regime be touted as the lesser two evils when it has carried out mass atrocities against its own people and killed hundreds of thousands, displaced millions, and left millions disabled and orphaned?"
Turkish Foreign Minister ruled out any role for Al-Qaeda-linked groups or the Assad regime in Syria's future.
In response to a question, Davutoglu denied allegations that Turkish-US relations had recently experienced a rupture, saying that within the past decade the ties between the two allies have seen their busiest period.
The Turkish minister also said Ankara is the sole trend-setter in Turkey's foreign policy.
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