Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan welcomed France’s decision to send diplomats to Damascus after the fall of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad in a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Agence France-Presse reported on Wednesday, citing the Turkish presidency.
A French delegation arrived Tuesday at the country’s embassy in Damascus, the first visit of diplomats from France since Islamist-led rebels forced Assad to resign and flee the country.
Turkey reopened its embassy in Damascus on Saturday and is reportedly in constant touch with Syria’s new rulers.
Erdoğan told Macron that “he was pleased” with Paris’s decision to send a diplomatic mission to Syria, his office said.
Erdoğan also said efforts had already begun for the return of Syrian refugees to their country.
A statement from the French president’s office said Macron told Erdoğan that France “backed regional efforts to preserve the unity and sovereignty of Syria.”
It added: “The two heads of state welcomed the fall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad,” which brought to an end to “years of dictatorship, violence and oppression of the Syrian people.”
“In this respect, they [Erdoğan and Macron] indicated their desire for a peaceful and representative political transition” along the lines of UN resolution 2254, “respectful of the fundamental rights of all communities in Syria be implemented as soon as possible.
UN resolution 2254 sets out a road map for the peace process in Syria.
“The international community needs to cooperate to create sustainable conditions that will enable Syrians to stay there,” the statement added.
Turkey, home to nearly 3 million Syrian refugees, is hoping the shift in power in Damascus will allow many of them to return to Syria.