Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Syria's President Bashar al-Assad attend a news conference after their meeting in Istanbul in this June 7, 2010 file photo. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad blamed the Turkish government on August 29, 2012 for violence in a 17-month-old uprising in the country, in which thousands have died. REUTERS/Osman Orsal/Files (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS)