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Press TV has conducted an interview with Hisham Jaber, director of the Center for Middle East Studies, about the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warning Ankara that its support for militants fighting against Damascus will backfire on Turkey.

- Now the question here would be if you agree with that statement that the support that Turkey is giving to the insurgents is going to backfire?

- President Assad was absolutely right. Turkey from the beginning made very hostile policy against Syria and went so far against Syria. Turkey did close the main gate - eastern gate - to Syria, to the Middle East in order to open the western gate in order to be member of the European Union. They did not know - the Turkish - that there is no way that Turkey or eighty million Muslims will be European citizens.

Turkey did encourage the insurgents against Syria. Turkey did miscalculate politically against Syria. Turkey believed that the Syrian regime will collapse in few months. They did not know that this regime will remain solid against international aggression. Turkey had a lot of political and demographic problems. And now Turkey is facing the risk and the threat of the insurgents which were provided by weapons and encouraged and supported by the Turkish government.

We do have statistics that seventy percent of the insurgents especially Islamic organizations came to Syria through Turkey and were supported by weapons and logistic support and political support.

- Well Mr. Jaber, if I could just jump in here. Would you say Mr. Jaber though, I mean there are two accusations here that first that Turkey is supporting knowingly the terrorists, what Bashar al-Assad is saying and those who are saying that Turkey is supporting the militants as a whole and these finances or these supports could reach the hands of the terrorists as well.

Do you think that Turkey was knowingly supporting the terrorists as Bashar al-Assad is saying?

- Yes, Turkey was providing weapons. As we said seventy percent of the insurgents came to Syria through Turkey and until yesterday maybe they were supported by Turkey and now they came to tell us, especially the foreign minister, that Turkey is afraid about the expansion of those Islamic organizations into Turkey.

Of course he was supposed to know long time ago that his hostile policy against Syria is not in the profit of Turkey and any pressure on the Syrian regime, if the Syrian regime will collapse, we said a lot, many times that civil war in Syria may lead to the partition of Syria. Any partition of Syria will have Turkey, will not remain safe because it will be partition in Turkey.

Don’t forget that Hatay, Iskenderun or Antakya were part of Syria. In case partition of Syria we will have many states in the north of Syria, Hatay and Iskenderun would join the mother land of Syria.

Second, Turkey has a lot of problem with the Kurds. Now the Kurds on the borders of Syria, Turkey is afraid about the expansion of this region of the Kurds, call it mini state or tiny state or whatever in the future. Turkey is facing a lot of risk based on its non-wise and non-smart policy against Syria.

President Assad is absolutely right. And to be the devil’s advocate, I would say that Turkey were under the pressure from the beginning of the United States. Turkey had a dream to build up an Ottoman empire again. Turkey had a temptation from Europe but in my opinion it was miscalculation.