Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a press conference with his Tunisian counterpart on December 27, 2017 at Carthage palace near Tunis. (AFP Photo)

DAMASCUS, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Syria's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday held Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responsible for the bloodbath in Syria, as Erdogan called President Bashar al-Assad "a terrorist."

In a statement, the ministry said the "aggression of Erdogan and the entry of his forces into Syria is one form of supporting the terrorists."

The ministry charged that the Turkish president is "misleading the public opinion by his usual bubbles in a desperate attempt to exonerate himself from the crimes he committed against the Syrian people through his unlimited support to the terrorist groups in Syria."

The sharp condemnation came following remarks by Erdogan, who said during a televised news conference in Tunis that "Assad is definitely a terrorist who has carried out state terrorism."

The remarks came ahead of the anticipated talks on Syria in the Russian city of Sochi early next year.