UPDATE - Türkiye says its embassy in Damascus to open on Saturday

ADDS REMARKS BY FIDAN

By Esra Tekin and Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Turkish Embassy in Damascus is set to open Saturday, Türkiye's foreign minister announced late 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 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 said before the latest developments, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) was controlling an area where 5 million Syrians were living and highlighted that they have gained experience in providing municipal services, education services, basic services, transportation and many other services in the past 5-6 years.

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

He underlined that Israel has developed a strategy to destroy the capabilities of the new administration in Syria and said Israel wants to open a space in Syria where it can conduct air and ground operations “whenever it deems necessary.”

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.