By Muhammet Emin Avundukluoglu
ANKARA (AA) - The leader of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) on Tuesday called on Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria to come together in order to solve regional issues.
"For God's sake, save yourself from the sovereignty of America and Russia, get out of their [gravitational pull]," Kemal Kilicdaroglu told his party's lawmakers in parliament.
"Can the presidents of the four countries [Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria] not come together? Can they not solve their own problems?," Kilicdaroglu asked, adding regional peace could not be achieved in the company of "imperialist powers".
Syria has been locked in a devastating civil war since March 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.
While UN officials say hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict, Syrian regime officials say the death toll is closer to 10,000.