Ankara: Trkiye announced that passport-based crossings have officially commenced at its land border gates with Syria, marking a significant step in the normalization process following the country's liberation last December.

According to Anadolu Agency, an Interior Ministry statement posted on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal outlined that Turkish citizens and Syrian nationals who have acquired third country citizenship are now permitted to enter and exit Syria via Trkiye's land border gates. However, this excludes the gates located in the Operation Peace Spring Zone.

The changes come after the departure of Bashar al-Assad, who had led Syria for nearly 25 years, to Russia on December 8, which resulted in the end of the Baath Party regime that had been in place since 1963. In January, a new transitional administration was established under the leadership of President Ahmad al-Sharaa.