Damascus, April 1 (RHC)-- Syrian President Bashar Assad has said that the army of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is fighting in Syria.

In statements to Russia's RIA news agency Thursday, Assad said: "The Turkish army, which is not Turkish, but is Erdogan's army, is now fighting in Syria .... The Turkish people are not against Syria, are not hostile toward Syria. Our relations will be good if Erdogan does not interfere."

The Syrian president added that Turkey and Saudi Arabia's actions from the "very beginning" of the conflict "can be considered aggressive."  He further accused Turkey of financially supporting terrorism, something that Russia has previously claimed and provided evidence.

Assad said Erdogan “trades oil that has been stolen by IS [Islamic State group], while at the same time he carries out artillery attacks against the Syrian army in order to help the terrorists.”