Fidan explained President Erdoğan's call to Assad.

Armed opposition groups ended the 61-year Ba'ath regime in Syria in 12 days. After the arrival of the opposition in the capital, Damascus, Bashar al-Assad and his family fled to Russia. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan explained the reasons behind the escape of Syria's ousted leader Assad, referring to the calls made by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan before the events.

"OUR PRESIDENT REACHED OUT AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL"

Hakan Fidan, stating that they saw the regime was on the verge of collapse, said, "Our intention was not for Assad to go, etc. It was to create a Syria that does not produce a terrorism problem. Our president also reached out at the highest level and said, 'Come, let’s solve this problem.' Because we are now seeing the data. The regime was not in a position to see its own situation while it was in a hot war with the opposition," he stated.

FIDAN EXPLAINED ERDOĞAN'S CALL TO ASSAD

While evaluating the events since November 27 in a program he attended, Fidan conveyed how Turkey views the events in Syria. Evaluating the process leading to HTS taking over, Fidan said:

"On one hand, we saw that the situation was really very bad. Our president also reached out at the highest level and said, 'Come, let’s solve this problem.' Because we are now seeing the data. The regime was not in a position to see its own situation while it was in a hot war with the opposition.

"OUR INTENTION WAS NOT FOR ASSAD TO GO"

The regime was on the verge of collapse, we could see that. The issue we did not want to accept was that with so much data, the regime's economy had collapsed, its institutions had collapsed, the people were deprived of basic needs, and people had been displaced. The regime had turned its back on the processes initiated regarding this. Our intention was not for Assad to go, etc. Our intention was to create a Syria that satisfies the Syrian people and does not produce a terrorism problem.

"THEY KNEW WHAT WE WOULD TALK ABOUT"

We approached them sincerely, but they did not want to discuss this issue in any way. In fact, they knew what we would talk about. What Turkey put forward as a condition was peace with your own people, take millions of people into your home, and allow them to return. We want something humanitarian. However, since the regime unfortunately saw its own people as enemies, it did not even enter into this discussion. The regime was not alone in the decision-making process. It was under the influence of Russia and Iran. And we have come to this stage today.