“The end of the Baath regime's tyranny is the victory of our Syrian brothers, and it is also our victory as their neighbors,” Erdogan said during his ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) congress in Sanliurfa (Riha) on Saturday, referring to Assad’s party which ruled Syria for decades.
A coalition of rebel groups spearheaded by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ousted Assad in a blistering offensive last month.
Turkey ended diplomatic relations with Assad after his regime cracked down on peaceful protesters in 2011. Erdogan labeled the then Syrian president as a dictator.
However, months before Assad’s fall, Erdogan sought a rapprochement with Assad but the latter had conditions, including the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the country. Assad’s regime fell before the process could yield any concrete results.
Turkey, which appears to have strong leverage with the new government in Damascus, has expressed its readiness to provide military and logistical assistance to the new administration.
Ankara has also intensified attacks on Kurdish fighters who control most of northeast Syria (Rojava). It has called on them to disarm and expel alleged foreign members from the country.
