A senior adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday the position of Syrian President Bashar al Assad has to be represented in the intra-Syrian talks.

Speaking to Sputnik news agency, Erdogan's adviser Ilnur Cevik said his country rejects Assad's stay in power.

Cevik said Turkey disagree with Russia on the issue of Assad, as Moscow believes that Assad should remain in power.

However, he added that this is his position as a journalist and not as an adviser to the Turkish president.

Cevik hailed the Russian support for his country in a recent operation to liberate the Syrian city of Al Bab from Daesh control.

He described Russian President Vladimir Putin as a very important figure for Turkey at the moment, adding that without Russia's support, his country would not be able to do a successful operation in Al Bab.

We are very grateful to Putin and the Russian army, Cevik concluded.

Source: MENA