Istanbul, 15 December 2024 (dpa/MIA) – Defence Minister Yaşar Güler has expressed Turkey's readiness to offer military support to the new Syrian leadership, a statement from his ministry said on Sunday.

Turkey, a member of NATO, had agreements with several other countries on military training and other assistance and would offer this to Syria if requested, Güler said.

While the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Islamist movement, which led the assault on the regime of Bashar al-Assad, is listed as a terrorist organization in Turkey, Ankara maintains strong links with its leadership.

The director of Turkey's National Intelligence Organization, İbrahim Kalın, visited Damascus on Thursday. And on Saturday, Turkey reopened its embassy in the Syrian capital.

Al-Assad's fall and flight to Moscow on December 8 has prompted a major political realignment in the region, with Russian and Iranian influence severely dented.

Turkish forces have been engaging Kurdish separatists in the north of Syria, as Ankara seeks to expand its influence.

Photo: EPA