Turkish FM suggests Assad might be outside Syria

Türkiye has not maintained any contact with Bashar al-Assad, despite President Erdoğan's proposal for normalization, said Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

He made the remarks during a press conference in Doha, Qatar, on December 7, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

Fidan emphasized that Türkiye highly values the constructive approaches of Russia and Iran regarding the resolution of the Syrian conflict.

"Yesterday was an important day for Syria's future. The Astana format countries—Türkiye, Russia, and Iran—gathered to discuss the latest developments. We greatly appreciate the constructive approaches of Russia and Iran. The UN Special Envoy for Syria also joined us and made significant contributions. Later, we held discussions with Arab countries: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, Egypt, and Jordan. We also thank these brotherly nations for their constructive approaches. We are also in talks with the Americans. We will continue to collaborate with regional and international actors on the Syrian issue," Fidan said.

The Turkish Foreign Minister further noted that the Turkish authorities do not know the whereabouts of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, suggesting he may be outside the country.

"I cannot provide any comments on this matter. We do not know where he is. He might be outside Syria," Hakan Fidan remarked.

To recall, early on December 8, the Syrian army command informed officers that President Bashar al-Assad’s authoritarian rule ended, marking a seismic moment for the Middle East.

Syrian rebels declared Damascus "now free of Assad," and sources reported plans to broadcast their first statement to the nation via state television. Two senior army officers confirmed to Reuters that Assad fled Damascus for an undisclosed destination earlier in the day, leaving the capital under rebel control.

An IL-76 aeroplane of the Syrian airline Syrian Air, which was supposedly carrying Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, disappeared from radar after less than an hour of flight, according to the flight tracker Flightradar24.

The flight tracker data showed that a Syrian Air plane took off from Damascus airport around the time the capital was reported to have been taken by rebels.

As per Reuters, the aircraft initially flew towards Syria's coastal region, a stronghold of Assad's Alawite sect, but then made an abrupt U-turn and flew in the opposite direction for a few minutes before disappearing off the map.

By Khagan Isayev