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DOHA: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says the international community must support the Syrian people and protect the territorial integrity of the country.

Fidan was speaking at a press conference in Doha on Sunday and sought to find ways for the international community to help Syria in its time of crisis.

“We knew that something was coming,” he said. “Because we are very much familiar with the problems of Syria. The regime was slowly decaying and collapsing, and this didn’t happen overnight. For the last 13 years, the country has been in turmoil.”

Fidan said opportunities were lost in the past to resolve Syria’s problems and open a way to peace in the country. Now, he said, the focus must be on the people of Syria and their needs, to provide basic services after half the population was displaced.

“Today there is hope,” he said. “But the people cannot achieve this alone.” It was important, he added, to create stability in the country and enable those displaced to return to their homes.

“A new administration must be established with the principle of inclusiveness. There must never be a desire for revenge. Opposition groups should be united now, and institutions should be preserved so that they can function properly.”

He said Turkey was in communication with various groups within Syria but warned that rebel groups such as Daesh and the PKK should not be allowed to take advantage of the situation.

He also thanked Russia and Iran for their “constructive approaches.” But his focus remained on the struggles facing the Syrian people.

“For the stability of Syria in the long term, we are familiar with the problems, and they are challenging ones. We must work very hard to make sure that there is a good and smooth transition period and start delivering basic services for the people.”

Replying to a question on the whereabouts of President Bashar Assad, the Turkish Foreign Minister said he knows that Assad “has left” Syria but declined to comment on where he might be.