Erdogan: Damages of massacre policy in Syria exceed $500 billion

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that the damage caused by the "13-year massacre policy in Syria" exceeds $500 billion.

He added, in a speech at an event at the presidential complex in the capital Ankara, that the Turkish teams visiting Syria indicate that the situation is "much worse".

Erdogan noted that "with the (victory of) the Syrian revolution, a historic opportunity has opened up for our country and the region, and we will achieve our goal of a Turkey free of terrorism".

He added, "We will not allow anyone to distort the position we have taken (in Syria) at the expense of risking our political future during the most important elections in Turkey's history" (referring to the recent local elections in which the opposition Republican People's Party won).