ANKARA, January 13. /TASS/. Political circles outside Syria that oppose the influence of Russia or Iran on the future of Syria, seek to exert control themselves, said Omer Celik, spokesman of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party.
"Instead of focusing on the unity and integrity of Syria, there are circles aiming to create a Syrian administration through minority forces. What we are saying is that both the majority and the minority must play their role in Syria's future and take the place they deserve. There is no other approach. No conditions should be imposed. We are convinced that those who say there should be no Iranian or Russian influence in Syria are those who are themselves trying to become sponsors in Syria," he told reporters.
According to Celik, it is necessary to continue the process of lifting sanctions on Syria. "As you know, the US has been imposing sanctions on Syria since 1970. On January 6, it was decided to make some exceptions to the sanctions regime. This is, of course, extremely valuable in terms of increasing the capacity of the Syrian administrative structure. As a first step, these exceptions are positive, but I would like to say that we in no way consider these measures sufficient," he said.