Damascus,(SANA)_ President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday stressed the importance of deepening the dialogue between Syrian and Turkish religious institutions.

The remarks came during President al-Assad's meeting with Director of Turkish Religious Affairs Ali Bardakoglu.

President al-Assad emphasized the clerics' role in raising awareness, consolidating morality, spreading tolerance and conveying the real message of Islam to the whole world.

Talks dealt with the close and special relationship enjoyed by Syria and Turkey as it is not only limited to the leaderships of both countries but also reflects deep-rooted ties between the two peoples.

In a statement to SANA, Bardakoglu described his meeting with President al-Assad as "excellent."

He hailed President al-Assad's keenness to develop Syrian-Turkish relations and demonstrate Islam as a religion of tolerance that rejects violence and extremism.

Bardakoglu said: "we highly appreciate President al-Assad's constructive cooperation which helped build a strong bridge between the brotherly peoples of the two countries and contributed to the development of intimate and sincere relations.

He indicated the common factors between the two peoples, saying that "as a religious institution, we work to boost these relations. We felt that Syria is our second home. We saw the depth of the Syrian-Turkish brotherly relationship during this visit."

R.Raslan / Ghossoun