Turkish President accuses Iran of ‘sectarian’ policies in Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday accused Iran’s regime of sectarian policies in neighboring Syria by putting its weight behind Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, the French news agency Agence France Presse reported.

“Had Iran not stood behind Assad for sectarian reasons, today maybe we would not be discussing an issue like Syria,” Erdogan said in a televised speech in Istanbul, according to the AFP.

Iran’s regime and Turkey are on opposing sides of the Syrian conflict, with Ankara supporting rebels fighting Assad and joining a U.S.-led coalition bombing the Islamic State group in Syria.

Iran’s regime, however, along with Russia, is a major supporter of Assad.

Erdogan said Iran’s regime, Russia and ISIS (ISIL or Daesh) are “massacring innocent people mercilessly” in Syria.

http://www.ncr-iran.org/en/news/terrorism-fundamentalism/19703-erdogan-accuses-iran-s-regime-of-sectarian-policies-in-syria