President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared today that Turkey will remain in Syria so long as its people haven’t gained freedom and security, TASS reports.

“We will stay in Syria so long as the people of our fraternal and neighboring Syria haven’t gained freedom and peace. Currently, they are holding so-called elections in Syria. Can such elections take place? Where are the countries that would speak about democracy?” the Turkish leader said in his speech in Ankara.

Commenting on the parliamentary elections taking place in Syria, Erdogan stated that ‘Turkey had to intercede for the repressed and express its protest against what is going on’.