Ankara slams UAE's comments on Turkey's role in Syria

Turkish Foreign Ministry slammed UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan's statement in which he urged Ankara to end what he described as "colonial" actions in Syria, Turkey's Anadolu Agency reported on Wednesday.

"Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war, Turkey has pursued to find a political solution to unity and territorial integrity of Syria and meet the rightful demands of its people," said Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Huseyin Muftuoglu.

Al Nahyan speaking at a news conference with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday had stated that "the exit of those parties trying to reduce the sovereignty of the Syrian state, and I speak here frankly and clearly about Iran and Turkey."

Responding to Al Nahyan's statement, Muftuoglu noted that, "Turkey is one of the top countries most affected by the Syrian conflict. Our desire is to end the crisis as soon as possible."

"Turkey believes real culprits responsible for the destruction of Syria must be sought and that no compromise should be made to efforts required to resolve the conflict," said Muftuoglu.

The six-year-old war in Syria has dragged in regional and international players who have sought to advance their interests there. Iran has sent troops and military support to shore up Assad's rule as he has battled mostly Sunni Muslim rebels backed by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab states.