It is time all religious, ethnic groups in Syria embrace one another: Turkish foreign minister

By Serdar Dincel and Seda Sevencan

ISTANBUL (AA) - It is time for all religious, ethnic, and sectarian groups in Syria to embrace one another, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a news conference with Asaad Al-Shaibani, foreign minister of the new Syrian administration, Fidan stated that Türkiye offered to provide operational support to Syria regarding the Daesh/ISIS terror group.

He announced that Türkiye's Consulate General in Aleppo will be operational on Jan. 20.

For his part, Al-Shaibani noted that Syria and Türkiye have brought about "a new history."

Underlining the importance of Syria’s territorial unity, he highlighted that they want all territories under the central government to be united under the same roof.

Syria's new administration believes that no threat should be posed to Türkiye from the Syrian territory, Al-Shaibani added.

Bashar Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party’s regime, which had been in power since 1963.