This comes after five decades of Ba'ath Party rule.Turkey's top diplomat spoke in Qatar after Saturday's meetings with his Russian and Iranian counterparts on Syria were confused by the lightning offensive by the rebels in which they entered Damascus.
"The Assad regime has collapsed and control of the country is changing hands," Fidan told the Doha Forum for International Political Dialogue, adding that Assad "is probably out of Syria" when asked about his whereabouts.
"This did not happen overnight. The country has been in turmoil for the past 13 years," Fidan added, referring to the protracted civil war that began with Assad's crackdown on democratic protests in 2011.
Turkey, without being directly involved, supports various rebel movements and has looked favourably on the rapid offensive in Syria.
Fidan said Ankara was in contact with the rebels in Syria to ensure that the militant Islamic State group and the PKK, the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which is banned in Turkey, could not expand into the security vacuum, "taking advantage of the situation".
Turkey, Iran and Russia have been partners since 2017 in the so-called Astana process, which seeks to end the civil war in Syria that began in 2011.
Moscow and Tehran have offered military support to help Assad's forces contain the rebels.
Despite repeated violations, the 2020 ceasefire agreement brokered by Russia and Turkey largely froze the conflict for several years, but it was shattered by the shock offensive launched late last month.
Fidan said international and regional actors must ensure a smooth transition from Assad's government.
He said the new administration should not "pose a threat to its neighbours, on the contrary, the new Syria will deal with the existing problems, remove the threats."
Turkey shares a 900-kilometre border with Syria and hosts nearly 3 million Syrian refugees.
Fidan said that after the fall of the Assad government, "millions of Syrians who were forced to leave their homes can return to their land," adding that it was "time to unite and rebuild the country." | BGNES
