Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan denied the statement of the newly elected US President Donald Trump that the overthrow of the Syrian leader Bashar Assad was an "unfriendly seizure of power" by Turkey.
Trump stated that Ankara acted "very smartly" and carried out an "unfriendly occupation without great human casualties" in Syria.
In an interview with Al Jazeera TV channel, Fidan emphasized that the events in Syria cannot be considered a seizure of power by Turkey.
"For the people of Syria, this is not a seizure of power. If any change happens, it should be by the will of the Syrian people. Other comments are just a distortion of reality," Fidan said.
He added that the "last thing" Turkey wants is to be seen as a regional power that controls Syria. Fidan noted that such hegemonic approaches have caused significant damage to the region in history, and Turkey does not aspire to such a position.
