According to Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, Turkey thinks Bashar Assad can be a "part of the transition", but has no place in Syrian future in the long term.
"Could Syria carry Assad in the long-term? Certainly not," Yildirim said. "The United States knows and Russia knows that Assad does not appear to be someone who can bring (the people) together."
But Assad should not go away, according to the new Turkish policy, anytime before both Daesh terrorists and Kurdish rebels are defeated.
"There may be talks (with Assad) for the transition. A transition may be facilitated. But we believe that there should be no (Kurdish rebels), Daesh or Assad in Syria's future," Yildirim said.
The Kurdish forces, backed by the US, seek to establish their own autonomy which will secede from Turkey, Syria and Iran. Until recently, Damascus refrained from attacking their own Kurds, as they successfully defeated the Daesh terrorist group which at some point captured the majority of Syrian territory.
But Kurdish advances also created a potential threat of separatism in Syria, which is likely to spread into Turkish territory.
"Turkey we will be more active in the Syria issue in the coming six months as a regional player. This means to not allow Syria to be divided on any ethnic base, for Turkey this is crucial," Yildirim said.
Earlier this week, Yildirim unveiled a roadmap to resolve the Syrian crisis that comprised three key components, which include integrity of Syrian borders, changes to Syrian political structure (which means removal of Assad from office) and the return of 3 some millions of Syrian immigrants from Turkey.
