Turkish Prime Minister said that Turkey�s role in Syria is to unite Russia, the United States and Iran in order to put an end to the "bloodshed" in the country.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) � Turkey�s role in Syria is to unite Russia, the United States and Iran in order to put an end to the "bloodshed" in the country, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told Sputnik.

"The role of Turkey [in Syria] entails uniting, bringing together Russia, the United States and Iran. This process can also involve Saudi Arabia. And therefore put an end to bloodshed in the region and prevent deaths of innocent, helpless people.

We are making efforts to achieve this," Yildirim said. According to the official, Ankara�s second goal in the region is to ensure the security of the country�s southern borders and people living in the region. "We launched the Euphrates Shield operation, which continues to this day, for these purposes," he added. The lack of coordination between Moscow and Washington in Syria, as well as the upcoming elections in the United States, are making the situation in the region more difficult, Turkish Prime Minister said.

"The lack of coordination between Russia and the United States makes the situation in the region more difficult every day. Especially the vacuum of political will which emerged due to the upcoming elections in the United States, unfortunately, promotes the emergence of an unfavorable situation in the region," Yildirim said.

The minister called on Russia and the United States to "put the regional confrontation on the backburner" and put people�s lives and future first. "We are calling on all interested sides to abandon the position of demonstration of force, sit down at the negotiations table and find the solution to the problem," Yildirim added.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting a number of opposition factions and extremist groups, such as Daesh and Jabhat Fatah al Sham (also known as Nusra Front, or Jabhat al-Nusra), both of which are banned in Russia and a range of other countries. Russia has been supporting Syria's legitimate authorities, the government of Assad, while Washington has sided with the so-called moderate opposition in Syria. Earlier this month, the US State Department announced it was suspending bilateral channels with Russia that were established to sustain a cessation of hostilities in Syria.

By Sputnik News