MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Syria has been in a state of civil war for five years. The ongoing conflict was sparked in 2011 since moderate Syrian opposition groups decided to remove Assad and government forces from power. At the same time, Damascus has to counter various extremist groups, in particular, the Daesh, which is outlawed in Russia and many other countries.
"We want an actual political transition of power in Syria. It means that we want power which will save the territorial integrity, political unity, secular foundations and will not allow confessional separation. Does the territorial unity really have anything to do with Assad’s personality?" the ministry’s spokesperson said in response to the question about Turkish position on Syrian conflict resolution.