Trump says Türkiye supported regime change in Syria
US President-elect Donald Trump has alleged that Türkiye is responsible for the regime change in Syria. For the complete article, visit RT.com.
US President-elect Donald Trump accused Türkiye of orchestrating the regime change in Syria during his first press briefing since the November election. He described the overthrow of Bashar Assad and his government as an "unfriendly takeover" by Ankara.
The dynamics in Syria have significantly shifted in the last two weeks, following an offensive by militants from the Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham jihadist group against Syrian troops, which resulted in the capture of major cities, including the capital, Damascus. The Syrian military has largely collapsed, leading to the armed opposition assuming power and forcing President Assad to take refuge in Russia, where he received political asylum.
“Those people that went in are controlled by Türkiye, and that’s OK,” Trump remarked. He expressed his admiration for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, calling him a "smart" and "very tough" individual for achieving the ousting of the Syrian leadership.
“[Türkiye] wanted [Syria] for thousands of years, and he got it… Türkiye did an unfriendly takeover without a lot of lives being lost,” Trump further stated, also commending Türkiye’s “major military force,” which “has not been worn out with war.”
Looking ahead, Trump indicated that Türkiye will be pivotal in determining Syria's future.
“Nobody knows what the final outcome is going to be in the region. Nobody knows who will rule in the final... Right now, Syria has a lot of indefinites, but I think Türkiye is going to hold the key to Syria,” the president-elect predicted.
Türkiye shares its longest land border with Syria, spanning over 900 kilometers, and has been a significant supporter of opposition groups seeking to dethrone Assad since the civil war began in 2011. Although Ankara labels the jihadist HTS, responsible for the current upheaval, as a terrorist organization, it is believed to maintain considerable influence over the group.
In addition, Türkiye supports the Syrian National Army, which recently launched its offensive in eastern Syria, aiming to take advantage of the Syrian government forces' collapse. Just before Assad's ousting, Erdogan had encouraged the insurgency in Syria, urging opposition fighters to advance towards Damascus.
Since Assad's removal, both Washington and Ankara have initiated discussions to stabilize the region and prevent the potential resurgence of Islamic State militants in Syria. In a meeting last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan agreed to continue their collaboration to thwart terrorist groups from exploiting the current instability and to work towards establishing peace, starting with the formation of an interim government.
Anna Muller contributed to this report for TROIB News