The Foreign Ministry appointed Ambassador to Nouakchott Burhan Köroğlu as a temporary charge d'affaires for Türkiye's Embassy in Syria's capital Damascus in light of recent developments.
The embassy was closed in March 2012 following clashes between Assad regime forces and pro-democracy protestors.
The appointment of Köroğlu came shortly after Türkiye's top intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalın visited the Syrian capital on Thursday.
Syria's anti-regime forces entered the capital Damascus early Sunday ending the Bashar Assad regime's decadeslong rule.
The capture also overthrew the Baath Party, the Arab socialist group that had come to power in Syria in a 1963 coup.
The anti-regime forces also dealt a major blow to the influence of Russia and Iran in Syria in the heart of the region, allies who propped up Assad during critical periods in the conflict.
Türkiye, which said it gave no support and had no involvement in the offensive led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), said it wanted the new Syrian administration to be inclusive and for Syrians to determine their own future.
Ankara openly backed the Syrian opposition to the Assad regime since the unrest evolved into a civil war in the neighboring country more than a decade ago. Until Assad’s fall, Ankara sought to normalize ties with Damascus and find a political solution to the civil war.
While several countries, including Egypt, Iraq and Italy, swiftly reopened their diplomatic missions in Damascus following the opposition offensive, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara was waiting for the “right conditions to emerge” to reopen its embassy in the Syrian capital.
Dr. Köroğlu was appointed as ambassador to Mauritania in Dec. 2023. He completed his master's degree in Jordan and received his PhD in Islamic Philosophy from Marmara University. He worked as an academic in several universities and headed various research centers. He is fluent in English and Arabic.
