Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir (left) and his Turkish counterpart Feridun Sinirlioglu shake hands after a news conference in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday. (AP/Burhan Ozbilici)

Turkey and Saudi Arabia have reiterated their position that President Bashar Assad has no role to play in Syria's future.

At a joint news conference in the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Thursday, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and his Turkish counterpart, Feridun Sinirlioglu, also criticized Russia's military involvement in Syria.

Al-Jubeir told reporters: "We are in agreement that Bashar Assad has no role."

Sinirlioglu said Assad is the cause of the conflict, adding that any country that believes that Assad can "re-establish authority and therefore restore stability is living in a dream world."

The two countries back moderate opposition groups in Syria.

The Turkish minister said that the Russian intervention was merely delaying a possible transitional period in Syria.

This story has been corrected to fix the spelling of the Saudi minister's name.

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