On December 6, 2024, on the eve of the fall of Bashar Al-Assad's regime in Syria to opposition forces led by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told CNN Turk that the opposition's advance appears to be aimed towards Damascus, that he hopes that it continues safe and sound, and that he had offered his help to "clarify and determine Syria's future" to Assad, who had denied this offer.
Click here or below to view the clip on MEMRI TV:
"It Is Our Wish That The March In Syria Continue Safe And Sound"
Erdoğan: "As of right now, the march of the opposition in Idlib, Hama, and Homs – with the goal of course being Damascus – continues. We are following it with our intelligence [services] and through the media reports. I would say that our wish is, of course, that this march in Syria continue safe and sound, but while this resistance continues together with terror organizations...
Assad Denied My Offer To Help "Determine The Future Of Syria"
"You will remember, we called out to Assad. We said: 'Come, let us talk, and together let's clarify and determine the future of Syria.' Unfortunately, I did not get a positive reply from Assad. As of now, after Idlib... Anyway, Idlib is fine... But Homs is in the hands of the opposition, and an advance towards Damascus is on the table.
"All of these troublesome marches in the region are not as we wish. We do not want them. Unfortunately, the region is in trouble. Yesterday, I got a request from the Prime Minister of Lebanon to speak. We will probably speak."
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