(CNN) Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is open to peace negotiations in his country's five-year civil war, but he would continue to battle enemies he deemed terrorists, he told AFP.
"We have fully believed in negotiations and in political action since the beginning of the crisis," Assad said in a transcript of the exclusive interview released Friday by the news agency.
"However, if we negotiate, it does not mean that we stop fighting terrorism. The two tracks are inevitable in Syria: first, through negotiations, and second through fighting terrorism. And the two tracks are separate from each other," he told the outlet in Damascus.
His comments come during a week in which world powers, including the United States and Russia, agreed to a ceasefire in Syria and to the delivery of immediate aid there.
The Syrian civil war began in March 2011, and since then, at least 250,000 people have died and 12 million have been displaced, according to the United Nations.
Assad expressed optimism that he could regain control of his country, but acknowledged it would take "a long time and will incur a heavy price."
Syrian girls: What we want to be
Photographer Meredith Hutchison of the International Rescue Committee asked Syrian girls who are refugees in Jordan what they want to be when they grow up. Here's what they said and how they picture themselves in the future.
Rama, 13. Future job: Doctor -- "Walking down the street as a young girl in Syria or Jordan, I encountered many people suffering -- sick or injured -- and I always wanted to have the power and skills to help them. Now as a great physician in my community, I have that ability. Easing someone's pain is the most rewarding aspect of my job."
"Since I was a young girl, I loved taking people's photographs. I loved going to different events and documenting what was happening -- both the good and the bad. Now, as a professional photographer, I use my images to inspire hope in others -- to encourage love and understanding."
"I have always wanted to help children, and this is what drove me to be a pediatrician. I am kind and loving, and therefore an excellent doctor that children can trust."
"Ever since we studied the solar system in primary school, I have wanted to be an astronaut. I would imagine myself up in the sky discovering new things. In this society my path was not easy -- many people told me a girl can't become an astronaut. Now I have achieved my goals. I would tell young girls with aspirations not to be afraid."
"In this image, it is the early morning, and I am waiting in my classroom for my students to arrive. I teach younger children to read and write Arabic. I am strict, but I go out of my way to gently help those students who are having difficulties."
"In this image, I am in the future and a well-respected physician at a major hospital in Syria. I am asking a patient about her pain and helping her to get better. My mother was born and raised in a village and didn't go to school, but as a young girl, I had the opportunity to learn and grow into a great doctor."
"I love planes. Even before I had ever been on a plane, I knew I wanted to be a pilot. Now, not only do I get to live my dream, but I also get to help people travel, to see the world and discover new places."
"In this image, I am a popular painter, working on a landscape in oils. My hope is that my artwork inspires peace in the world and encourages people to be kind to one another."
"Our neighbor in Syria had a pharmacy, and when I was younger I used to go next door and help. As the war started, I watched this pharmacist help the injured. When I saw this, I knew that this was an important job and what I wanted to do."
"I want violence against women to end. I want women to be able to make decisions for the community ... without fear. I want our society to open up and give space for women to be whoever they want to be. ... Now I am a respected lawyer working on women's rights and defending women who are victims of domestic violence."
"Regardless of whether we can do that or not, this is a goal we are seeking to achieve without any hesitation. It makes no sense for us to say that we will give up any part," the leader said.
A Russian-backed offensive in the Syrian town of Aleppo is designed to cut a road to Turkey because "Turkey is the main conduit of supplies for the terrorists," he told AFP. Turkey hosts 2.5 million Syrian refugees, the United Nations said.
"The battle is going on now on more than 10 fronts at the same time, from north to south, to the east, to the far east, too, and to the west in Latakia. It was going on in Homs, and now it's over. So, all these stages are moving in parallel," he said.
Assad dismissed genocide accusations made against his regime by a United Nations committee, saying it didn't have any evidence.
"First, you know that U.N. institutions express balance among the superpowers and the conflict among them. And these organizations are now basically controlled by Western powers. That's why most of their reports are politicized and serve a political agenda," he said.