Turkish opposition leader denies backing Syrian regime

By Emin Avundukluoglu

ANKARA (AA) - We have never supported the Syrian regime and we will not support it in the future, Turkey's main opposition party leader said on Tuesday.

"We have never backed any regime that compromises democracy," Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), told his party's lawmakers at the parliament.

Kilicdaroglu asserted that his party advocated living "with our neighbors in peace in every region''.

His remarks came a day ahead of Erdogan's visit to Moscow on March 5.

Ankara on Sunday launched Operation Spring Shield after 34 Turkish soldiers were martyred in Idlib, the last stronghold of opposition forces in Syria.

They were working to protect local civilians under a September 2018 deal with Russia, which prohibits acts of aggression in northwestern Syria.

However, Assad and Russian forces in the de-escalation zone continue to violate the cease-fire, sending about a million refugees towards Turkey's border with Syria since last December.

Turkey is already hosting close to 4 million Syrian refugees as well as migrants from other countries such as Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan.