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Turkish Consulate General in Aleppo reopens after 13-year closure

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Turkey has resumed its diplomatic activities at its consulate general in Aleppo, the second-largest city in Syria, after a 13-year hiatus, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

The reopening of the consulate general was marked by a ceremony on Monday attended by guests including Ambassador Burhan Köroğlu, the chargé d’affaires at the Turkish Embassy in Damascus, and Hakan Cengiz, the consul general of Aleppo.

During the ceremony the Turkish flag was raised at the diplomatic mission for the first time in 13 years.

Köroğlu, who spoke to members of the press after the ceremony, said the opening of the Aleppo Consulate General was a source of pride for Turkey and that it would provide services to the Syrian people and Syrians who have acquired Turkish citizenship.

Turkey withdrew Adnan Keçeci, its consul general in Aleppo, and his diplomatic team in July 2012 due to security concerns following the outbreak of the civil war in Syria in 2011.

Turkey reopened its embassy in Damascus on December 14, becoming the first country to do so since Assad was ousted from power by an alliance of rebel forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) on December 8.

In the early months of the Syrian civil war that began in March 2011, Turkey maintained contact with the Assad regime and encouraged Damascus to compromise with the opposition to resolve the conflict through political means. However, the regime’s military actions — rather than seeking a compromise — led to a complete breakdown of relations between Ankara and Damascus.

Since then Turkey has hosted and supported the Syrian opposition in their efforts to overthrow the Assad regime.

Some of the Syrian rebels who helped oust Assad had received support from Turkey.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Consulate General in İstanbul has continued to operate throughout the civil war.

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