More than 50,000 Syrian refugees have left Turkey to return home since Bashar al-Assad's ouster. "Now he's gone, many are willing to return but the Syria they left is not the same place," he told AFP.

Turkey has emerged as one of the most influential power brokers in Syria after rebels toppled Bashar al-Assad last month, ending his family's brutal five-decade rule.

No country has as much to gain from a stable Syria as Turkey, and few have as much to lose if it implodes. Turkey is home to more than 3m Syrian refugees, and wants Syria to be safe enough for many to return.

Assad, Turkey has become a vital power broker in Syria, with significant diplomatic, economic, and military influence. The country aims to leverage this to strengthen trade, cooperation, and address national security concerns related to Kurdish groups along its border.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for an inclusive transition in Syria after the fall of leader Bashar al-Assad, in a call with powerbroker Turkey, the State Department said Thursday.

President Erdogan declared Turkey's readiness to combat all terrorists in Syria, including IS and Kurdish groups. He urged nations to leave Syria's fate to its new regime, and warned of possible Turkish military action against the Kurdish YPG militia if demands are not met.

Turkey and Syria have agreed to reevaluate customs tariffs for certain products and they discussed economic and trade relations during meetings in Damascus, the Turkish trade ministry said on Friday.

Syria's foreign minister said he would visit Turkey on Wednesday on the first official trip to the country since Islamist-backed rebels toppled president Bashar al-Assad last month.

As it became increasingly clear that Syrians were not imminently leaving Turkey, the Turkish government formalized the Temporary Protection Regulation in 2014. It allowed Syrian nationals access to the Turkish education and health care systems and laid the groundwork for them to pursue employment if they could secure work permits.

Ankara eyes lower customs duties and the reactivation of a free trade deal, though there are Syrian concerns it will cost Damascus economic autonomy

In a phone call on Thursday with his Turkish counterpart, Iran’s foreign minister raised concerns about recent news of attacks on civilians in Syria.

Syria 's de-facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa revealed on Thursday that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had congratulated him on his victory last month during a phone call following the collapse of former president Bashar al-Assad's government. This marks the first time Sharaa has acknowledged directly engaging with a head of state.