Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accused his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a fierce critic, of exploiting a failed coup to "implement his own extremist agenda," in an interview published Thursday.

Speaking to the official Cuban Prensa Latina agency, Assad declined to be drawn on whether he would have liked to see Erdogan ousted in last week's coup attempt.

Erdogan has regularly called for Assad to leave office since the Syrian conflict erupted in March 2011, and Damascus accuses Turkey's government of support for "terrorism".

"We don't interfere, we don't make the mistake to say that Erdogan should go or stay. This is a Turkish issue and the Turkish people have to decide," Assad said, according to a transcript of the interview on Syria's state news agency website.

"But what is more important than the coup d'etat itself, we have to look at the procedures and steps that are being taken by Erdogan and his coterie recently," he said, referring to measures including the mass dismissal of judges and teachers.

"He (Erdogan) used the coup d'etat in order to implement his own extremist agenda, Muslim Brotherhood agenda, within Turkey, and that is dangerous for Turkey and for the neighbouring countries, including Syria," Assad said.

Turkey has pressed a crackdown on suspects accused of staging last week's failed coup, detaining or sacking over 50,000 soldiers, police, teachers and officials. Ankara has also imposed a state of emergency.

Despite once-warm ties, Syria and Turkey have become arch-foes since Erdogan sided with the opposition against Assad when the uprising began.

The main political body of the Syrian opposition, the National Coalition, is based in Turkey, which also hosts millions of Syrian refugees.

Damascus accuses Erdogan's government of arming opposition groups and allowing jihadists to flood across its borders into Syria.

As news broke of the attempted coup on July 15, there was celebratory gunfire in some government-held cities in Syria.

More than 280,000 people have been killed in Syria since the war began, and successive attempts to find a political solution to the conflict have failed.

Assad criticised the United Nations, which has appointed a series of envoys to seek a negotiated end to the war, saying it was "an American arm".

"Those mediators are not independent," he said, referring to the UN's current peace envoy Staffan de Mistura, and his predecessors Lakhdar Brahimi and Kofi Annan.

"They reflect either the pressure from the Western countries, or sometimes the dialogue between the main powers, mainly Russia and the United States," he added.

"There is no United Nations role in the Syrian conflict, there is only Russian and American dialogue."

Events in Turkey since attempted coup
Ankara (AFP) July 21, 2016 - Turkey imposed a state of emergency Thursday, six days after a failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has since launched a sweeping purge of suspected conspirators.

Authorities have arrested, fired or suspended tens of thousands of people from the armed forces, police, justice, education and media sectors in response to the attempted putsch.

According to revised official figures, the botched attempt to overthrow Erdogan's government left 265 people dead -- 24 of them coup plotters, and 241 civilians and officers who opposed them.

Here is a recap of the key events as they unfolded.

- Bloody putsch attempt -

FRIDAY, JULY 15: Around 11:00 pm (2000 GMT), Prime Minister Binali Yildirim denounces an attempt to overthrow the government after mutinous soldiers block Istanbul bridges over the Bosphorus.

Just before midnight, a group calling itself the "Council for Peace in the Homeland" declares martial law and a curfew as its troops deploy in Istanbul and Ankara.

They have tanks and combat aircraft, with F16s thundering through the sky and bombing key targets including the parliament.

Erdogan calls on the nation from a seaside resort in Marmaris to oppose the coup, speaking via a FaceTime cellphone link broadcast by CNN-Turk television.

Tens of thousands of citizens respond to Erdogan's call and huge crowds confront the putschists. Bloody clashes break out between the two sides.

- Erdogan accuses Gulen -

SATURDAY, JULY 16: Erdogan flies to Istanbul where a large crowd awaits, and declares the coup plotters guilty of "treason".

He accuses the rebels of ties to US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whose Hizmet movement has long had a strong presence in the Turkish security forces, civil service and media.

In Pennsylvania, Gulen condemns the coup "in the strongest terms" and rejects charges he orchestrated it.

Interim army chief of staff General Umit Dundar says the putsch has been defeated, and Yildirim adds: "The situation is completely under control."

Jubilant crowds pour onto the streets of Istanbul to show support for Erdogan, who demands that the US expel Gulen.

- Return of death penalty? -

SUNDAY, JULY 17: Erdogan vows to crack down on Gulen backers and "to clean the virus from all state bodies", while urging supporters to remain in the streets.

He suggests Turkey might reinstate the death penalty, which was officially abolished in 2004.

- Western warnings -

MONDAY, JULY 18: The European Union, NATO, and the United States warn Turkey to respect the rule of law after the start of a massive crackdown on suspected plotters.

European leaders warn that reinstating capital punishment would end Turkey's hopes of joining the EU.

- Purge spreads -

TUESDAY, JULY 19: A purge that began with rebel army units and officers quickly spreads to all sectors suspected of being infiltrated by Gulen supporters, including the justice and education ministries and religious organisations.

Licences are scrapped for television and radio stations linked to Gulen.

A spokesman for US President Barack Obama says he is "willing to provide appropriate assistance to Turkish authorities investigating the attempted coup".

Secretary of State John Kerry adds that Turkey, in its demand for Gulen's extradition, must "make certain that in whatever portfolio and request they send us, they send us evidence, not allegations."

Yildirim tells his party's lawmakers in parliament: "We have sent four dossiers to the United States for the extradition of the terrorist chief. We will present them with more evidence than they want."

- Erdogan calls state of emergency -

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20: Erdogan returns to Ankara for the first time since the attempted coup, and shortly before midnight declares a three-month state of emergency.

In an al-Jazeera interview, he says the arrests and suspensions so far were "within the law", adding: "Of course that does not mean we have come to the end of it."

- Turkey suspends European rights charter -

THURSDAY, JULY 21: Erdogan sends a text message to millions of mobile phone users, urging them to stay in the streets to resist "the terrorists".

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier stresses it is "vital that the state of emergency is limited for the required time and then immediately lifted."

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus says Ankara will suspend the European Convention on Human Rights during the state of emergency, like France did after a series of jihadist attacks.

He says the state of emergency could end after 45 days, despite being initially declared for a three-month span.