Assad: Turkey is supporting 'terrorists' and adding to bloodshed

The Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has accused Ankara of supporting Syrian "terrorists" and has advised it to stop meddling in Syrian affairs.

According to AFP, France 24 and Voice of America the Syrian President made this statement on Wednesday in an interview with center-life Turkish daily Cumhuriyet. In that interview he stated that "Turkey's desire to interfere in Syria's internal affairs has put it in a position which unfortunately makes it a party to all the bloody activities." He also accusing Turkey of supplying all of the "logistic support to the terrorists who have killed our people." These statements come as relations between Turkey and Syria remain at an all time low. Turkey is currently hosting some 35,000 Syrian refuges in camps along its now volatile border. The Turkish border regions with Syria are being used by the Syrian opposition to funnel arms into the battlefield. These opposition rebels are being supported and armed by Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Mr. Assad has accused Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of arming the opposition in Syria because of his own "sectarian instincts." Tensions became more salient about a fortnight ago when a Turkish Air Force F-4 Phantom jet was shot down by Syria's air defence. Both countries dispute the location of the plane, Turkey claims it was over international waters when it was shot down and Syria claims the jet was violating its airspace when it was shot down. Assad said he regrets the fact that the plane was shot down but still maintains that Syria was acting solely in self-defence when it undertook that controversial action. 16,500 people have been killed so far in this bloody 16-month-long uprising. Last month was one of the bloodiest claiming of the lives 3,000 Syrians. The country's unrest has now intensified to the point were it isn't out of the norm for a hundred people to be killed in one day.