Turkish perspective: "We have to start thinking about Assad still ruling Syria"

"... In reality, nobody has won anything from the Syrian crisis. Everybody has lost. Unfortunately, Turkey is among the losers. Our government’s policy had predicted a new Syria without Assad. But all the predictions of our officials about the Assad regime turned out to be futile. In the meantime, by supporting the opposition and resistance, Turkey became a party to the conflict.Today, Assad is still standing. Turkey, on the other hand, is facing a refugee problem that has so far cost $3.5 billion. Various jihadists and al-Qaeda groups are operating in our border region. The policy we followed has caused problems in our relations with many countries in our neighborhood.This is why we have to start thinking about Assad still ruling Syria."