Türkiye says its embassy in Damascus to open on Saturday

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) — The Turkish embassy in Syria's capital Damascus is set to open on Saturday, Türkiye's foreign minister announced late on Friday.

“They (embassy staff) are on their way as a team. The embassy will start operations tomorrow,” Hakan Fidan told private broadcaster NTV.

On the recent collapse of the Bashar Assad regime earlier this month in the face of rapid anti-regime advances, Fidan said Türkiye "paved the way for this to happen in a bloodless manner" by continuing to pursue talks with "two key actors," referring to Russia and Iran.​​​​​​​

He underlined that Syria now has a "sovereign national government" capable of reclaiming its territory, adding that this government would not recognize the authority of neither the PKK/YPG terror group, nor "any other power" on its soil.

Fidan highlighted Türkiye's strategic goal of eliminating the PKK/YPG, further adding: “Either they dissolve themselves or they will be dissolved.”

On Israel's "provocation" of occupying the Golan Heights in Syria, he said Ankara has sent a message to Tel Aviv, warning them to abandon this "dangerous strategy."

The Israeli army captured the buffer zone in Syria’s occupied Golan Heights on Sunday, shortly after Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu announced the collapse of a UN-monitored disengagement agreement with Damascus.

Anti-regime forces seized Damascus on Sunday after a lightning advance that sent Bashar al-Assad fleeing to Russia after a 13-year civil war and 53 years of rule by his family.