the United States has established “direct contact” with the new power in Damascus

Several countries have reconnected with Syria since the flight of Bashar al-Assad and the fall of his regime on December 8.

American Secretary of State Antony Blinken affirmed on Saturday December 14 that his country had established a “contact direct” with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist group at the head of the coalition that took power in Syria, leading to the fall of Bashar al-Assad on December 8. Traffic police under the new authorities were deployed on Saturday to the streets of the capital, where municipal workers are cleaning the roads. Most businesses have reopened, and schoolchildren have returned to their establishments, report AFP journalists on site.

Turkey, a major player in the conflict in Syria and support of the new authorities, has also reopened its embassy in Damascus after more than 12 years of closure. The country led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan said to himself “ready” to provide military aid if requested by Syria’s new government. On Sunday, Turkish authorities reported 7,600 returns of Syrian refugees to their country of origin since the fall of the Assad regime.