In an exclusive interview to Sputnik (Ria Novosti), Syrian President Bashar Assad has called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "the main instigator and initiator" of the ongoing conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh [(Artsakh)], Ria Novosti reported.

"Let's be blunt and clear; Erdogan has supported terrorists in Syria, and he's been supporting terrorists in Libya, and he was the main instigator and initiator of the recent conflict that has been going on in Nagorno-Karabakh between Azerbaijan and Armenia. So, I would sum up his behavior as dangerous, for different reasons," Assad stressed.

According to him, Damascus can confirm that Turkey is sending jihadists from Syria to Karabakh. “Turkey used terrorists coming from different countries in Syria. They used the same method in Libya; they used Syrian terrorists in Libya, maybe with other nationalities. So, it's self-evident and very probable that they are using that method in Nagorno-Karabakh because as I said earlier, they are the ones who started this problem, this conflict; they encouraged this conflict. They want to achieve something and they're going to use the same method," the Syrian president added.