President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has announced that Turkey will soon open a consulate general in Aleppo, following the resumption of embassy operations in Damascus after the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
“We are opening our Aleppo consulate general soon,” Erdoğan said at a meeting of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in parliament on Wednesday. The move marks another step in Ankara’s renewed engagement with the new leadership in Syria.
Turkey reopened its embassy in Damascus on December 14, becoming the first country to do so since Assad was ousted from power by an alliance of rebel forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) on December 8.
Some of the Syrian rebels who helped overthrow Assad had received support from Turkey.
Diplomatic ties between Syria and Turkey were severed in 2012, and the embassy had suspended operations 12 years ago due to the instability caused by the Syrian civil war.
During his speech on Wednesday Erdoğan praised HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, praising his effective management of the transition process in Syria and acknowledging his moderate and constructive approach.
Erdoğan reiterated Turkey’s commitment to support Syria in various areas, including energy, transportation, urbanization, education, health, security and trade.
Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan visited Damascus on Sunday as part of Turkey’s efforts to assist the new Syrian administration with its restructuring, meeting with HTS leader al-Jolani. Fidan’s visit was preceded by a trip by Turkish intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın, who visited Damascus on December 12, just days after Assad’s fall.