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Ankara rejected on Wednesday accusations by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had “seized power” in Syria through opposition factions that overthrew President Bashar al-Assad with a swift military offensive. Meanwhile, a Turkish military official denied committing to an American-brokered ceasefire in Manbij.

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In a media briefing, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated: “We cannot describe it as a seizure of power because it would be a grave mistake to characterize what is happening in Syria this way.” He added: “For the Syrian people, this is not a seizure of power. It is the will of the Syrian people that now holds power.”

The current dispute over Syria between the Turkish president and the U.S. president-elect, who takes office next month, contrasts with the positive atmosphere following Trump’s election victory, prompting Erdogan to invite him to Ankara to renew strong relations.

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Early on Sunday, December 8, the Syrian regime collapsed after the ousted President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia following a swift offensive by opposition factions led by the Islamist group “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham,” which entered Damascus.

Since the uprising against al-Assad began in 2011, Turkey has been seen as one of the main backers of the Syrian opposition. It has hosted millions of Syrian refugees and supported armed opposition factions in Syria.

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However, the Turkish foreign minister emphasized in his interview with Al Jazeera that it would be wrong to suggest Ankara is the force that will govern the new Syria. He stated:
“This would be the last thing we want to see happen because we have learned significant lessons from what has happened in our region. A culture of domination is what destroyed the region.”
He added: “This is why cooperation is essential: not Turkish domination, not Iranian domination, not Arab domination, but cooperation.” He further emphasized: “Our solidarity with the Syrian people should not be misinterpreted as though we are governing Syria. That would be a mistake.”

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Trump had described al-Assad’s overthrow on Monday as an “unfriendly takeover” of power in Syria by Turkey.

During a press conference, he stated: “I think Turkey is very smart. Erdogan is a very intelligent and tough man, but Turkey executed an unfriendly takeover without much loss of life. Al-Assad was a butcher, and what he did to children was barbaric.”

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In the same interview, the Turkish minister urged Syria’s new rulers to “address” the situation of Syrian Kurdish forces opposed to Turkey so that the latter would not need to intervene militarily against these fighters it considers “terrorists.”

He said: “There is now a new administration in Damascus. I think this is their main concern right now.” He added: “In my view, if they address this issue appropriately, there will be no reason for us to intervene.”

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This statement came in response to growing rumors that the Turkish army is preparing for an offensive on the Syrian town of Kobani, controlled by the Kurds.

Local witnesses reported an increase in military patrols on the Turkish side of the border, but no “unusual military activity” was observed. Since 2016, Ankara has carried out several military operations against Kurdish forces in Syria.

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