US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara, while Turkish Intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalin made an unanounced visit to Damascus.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan disclosed that Bashar al-Assad’s departure from power came following direct pressure from Russia and Iran, marking a historic shift in Syria’s political landscape.
Speaking on NTV broadcaston December 13, Fidan revealed that Assad left power after receiving phone calls from his long-standing allies, suggesting a coordinated diplomatic effort that reshaped Syria’s leadership.
He detailed discussions with his Russian and Iranian counterparts in Doha that led to the realization that Assad “was no longer a viable leader for their strategic interests”.
“We spoke with the Russians and Iranians and told them that the man they had invested in was no longer someone worth investing in,” he said adding, “They made one phone call, and that evening Assad was gone.”
The Foreign Minister emphasized Türkiye’s position, referring to the new governing body as “the committee.”
“We conveyed messages from our friends to Damascus,” Fidan said.
“Noone understands them like we do,” he added.
Blinken in Ankara
His statement came after Türkiye’s restoration of diplomatic ties with Damascus and high-level engagement with the United States. Turkish Intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalin made a significant visit to Damascus while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held crucial meetings with Turkish officials in Ankara.
Blinken arrived in Ankara on December 11 following his visit to Jordan and met with President Erdogan at Ankara’s Esenboğa Airport.
The US State Department’s statement following the closed-door meeting highlighted discussions on “strong regional cooperation” between the US and Türkiye, as well as “shared interests in supporting a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned transition to an accountable and inclusive government.”
Before his Ankara visit, Blinken acknowledged that “the PKK is a threat to Türkiye” while emphasizing the critical role of the SDF in fighting ISIS. He stressed the importance of preventing ISIS from resurging during Syria’s transition period.
MIT Chief in Damascus
Turkish Intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalin made an unannounced visit to Damascus while Blinken held high-stakes meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara.
During his visit to Damascus, Turkish Intelligence Chief Kalin notably prayed at the Umayyad Mosque, a symbolic gesture recalling President Erdogan’s 2012 statement about “praying at the Umayyad Mosque.”
Kalın is expected to meet with the interim government’s Prime Minister Muhammed El Besir and HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani.
Ankara assigns Temporary Chargé d’Affaires
In a parallel development, Türkiye appointed its first diplomatic representative to Damascus in 12 years. Burhan Köroğlu, currently Ambassador to Nouakchott, was assigned as the Temporary Chargé d’Affaires at the Damascus Embassy. Official sources told T24 that the decision to appoint a chargé d’affaires rather than an ambassador was made to avoid debates about recognizing or not recognizing the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
The diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Syria were technically never severed, as Syria’s Istanbul Consulate continued its operations throughout the period. Official sources emphasized that the diplomatic relations, which were technically unbroken, will continue from where they left off. Türkiye’s embassy in Damascus had suspended its daily operations on March 26, 2012, with Ambassador Ömer Önhon being the last ambassador before operations were suspended.
