The embassy, which had suspended operations in 2012, officially reopened with Burhan Koroglu, Türkiye’s ambassador to Mauritania, as acting charge d’affaires.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had formally assigned Koroglu to the new post on Thursday.

Located near the city’s Rawda Square in an area where the diplomatic missions of many other countries are also located, the Turkish Embassy continued to provide its services for a time after the regime’s violent crackdown on peaceful protesters in 2011.

However, it suspended its daily activities in late March 2012.

Embassy staff and their families returned to Türkiye following this decision.

Since the downfall of the Assad government earlier this month, the Syrian Consulate General in Istanbul has continued its operations uninterrupted.

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after armed groups took control of Damascus last week.

On Saturday, Turkey’s president stated that Syrians today are hopeful for the future after 13 years of war in their country.

“(For the first time) In years, people are smiling on the streets of Aleppo, Homs, and Damascus. After 13 years, our Syrian brothers and sisters are looking to their future with hope,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a local congress of his Justice and Development (AK) Party in the eastern province of Erzurum.

Just over 51 percent of respondents said they were satisfied with the collapse of the Assad dynasty, while 27 percent expressed neutrality on the matter.

The poll was carried out by Stracom, a research and consultancy firm, between December 8 and 11.

Since the start of the Syrian war, the Turkish government, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been a key backer of the the Syrian opposition, which spent close to 14 years trying to depose Assad.

In contrast, the Turkish opposition has periodically urged the president to engage with Assad to resolve the Syrian crisis.

One of the most pressing issues for Turkish society has been the presence of more than three million Syrian refugees, who Turkey has hosted for more than a decade.

Despite considerable pressure from his party and electorate, Erdogan stood by the refugees before the critical May 2023 presidential elections, declaring that he would not forcibly send them back.

However, since last year, Turkey’s new interior minister, Ali Yerlikaya, has sporadically deported Syrians to Turkish-controlled areas in northern Syria in an effort to reduce their numbers.

The poll revealed that 61 percent of participants believe Syrian refugees would return to their homes now that Assad has been overthrown.

Last week, Yerlikaya mentioned that the number of Syrians leaving Turkey has doubled since Assad’s fall, as Ankara opened a new border gate in Hatay to expedite the return of refugees.

Many analysts credit Erdogan with being a pivotal actor behind Assad’s overthrow.

However, only 43 percent of respondents in the survey attributed this success to Erdogan.

Ceren Kenar, the founder and general manager of Stracom, said that Erdogan could leverage the fall of Assad to his advantage in domestic politics, given that a plurality perceives him as successful in this regard.

The poll also highlighted regional concerns. Over a third of participants expressed anxiety about a potential increase in Israel’s influence in the region following Assad’s fall, while more than 43 percent indicated they were undecided on the subject.

“There is a concern amongst some respondents that Israel might exploit the situation in Syria and expand its influence in the region,” Kenar told Middle East Eye.

“This sentiment is particularly pronounced even amongst those who view the regime’s fall positively,” Kenar continued.

Kenar also noted that Assad’s fall has sparked newfound expectations that Syrian refugees will return soon.

“If this does not happen within a short time frame, it could further exacerbate tensions within Turkish society,” she added.