Syrian president makes first state visit to Turkey

"I do not want to confine Turkish-Syrian relations to the borders of the two countries. We should look at a regional and, perhaps in the future, at an international level," Syrian President Bashar al Assad said in an interview aired with Turkey’s private CNN-Turk television.

"No matter how we define our relations — a strategic partnership, alliance, brotherhood, or whatever — we have doors wide open ahead of us to achieve our objectives and, for me, our cooperation is super," he said, stressing he was also looking to improve economic cooperation.