SANA – Presidential Political and Media Adviser Dr. Bouthaina Shaaban said that the Turkish aggression on Syria and the illegitimate US presence in it violate international law and impede the political solution and victory over terrorism.

Speaking at Valdai Discussion Club on Monday, Shaaban said that the Turkish regime has helped terrorists to enter Syria, and when it realized that the terrorists have failed, it violated international laws and started to interfere in northern Syria.

She stressed that the Turkish regime continues to breach the cessation of hostilities agreement in a way that makes the cooperation among the guarantor states of the agreement difficult, affirming that the UN should condemn the Turkish occupation of Syrian territories.

The Adviser praised the roles of Iran and Russia and their efforts for resolving the crisis in Syria, saying that the world will be grateful to them after the victory over terrorism and guaranteeing a safe and secure future, adding that what Iran and Russia are doing is different from what is done by the US and European countries that seek to control Syria to maintain their interests in the region and protect the Israeli occupation entity.

She said that the US presence in Syria and the US-European intervention attempts prolonged the crisis, and that the US aggression on Syria is continuing through the Washington-backed mercenaries, but this will end because Syria belongs to the Syrians and only the Syrians.

In statements to journalists on the sideline of the event, Shaaban said that the illegitimate US presence in Syria provides cover for the remaining terrorists which Syria had been fighting for years, and that the Turkish regime attacks Syrian territory and uses terrorists as pawns.

“Meanwhile, the Russian, Syrian, and Iranian diplomacy builds upon these facts and attempts to reach a political solution for the crisis, but the Turkish and US aggression prevent reaching such a solution, and perhaps that is one of the goals of the aggression,” she added.

On the next steps following the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi, the Adviser said that the Syrian state is still pursuing two tracks: the first is fighting the remaining pockets of terrorism on the ground to which the Turkish regime and Washington provide cover, while the second is the diplomatic and political track, in which Syria is cooperating and exchanging opinions with Russia about all the possible steps to stop bloodshed and lead to a political solution for the crisis.

As for the repeated US attacks on Syria, Shaaban said “we will not allow any aggressor to stay in our territory, and shooting down the Israeli plane is one of the ways to deal with such aggression.”