ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey has emerged as one of the most influential power brokers in Syria after rebels toppled Bashar al-Assad last month, ending his family's brutal five-decade rule. NATO member Turkey is now in a position to influence its neighbour's future diplomatically, economically and militarily.

By Will Conroy in Prague On the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration, it is clear the EU and Turkey must finally get serious about security cooperation. The argument was lately advanced in an assessment by Chatham House senior consulting fellow Galip Dalay.

Renowned Kurdish comedian Juma Khalil, famously known as Bave Teyar, died on Sunday of injuries he sustained during an airstrike on northern Syria’s Tishreen Dam the day before, Kurdish media reported.

The new administration’s first visit to Ankara comes amid an intensifying struggle for the partition of Syria between the states behind the overthrow of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by jihadists led by the al-Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

A rightist ally of President Erdogan, Devlet Bahceli of Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party, this week openly questioned Greece’s sovereignty over the islands of the southeastern Aegean. In so doing Mr. Bahceli challenges the provisions of international laws and agreements such as the 1923 Lausanne Treaty.

The pro-Ankara groups succeeded in capturing Kurdish-held Manbij city and Tal Rifaat in northern Aleppo province, despite US-led efforts to establish a truce in the Manbij area. The fighting has continued since, with hundreds of people killed, mostly fighters.

Turkey has offered military assistance and capacity-building support to the new Syrian military to combat “terrorist groups”, during an unprecedented visit by a high-level Syrian delegation led by the new Syrian foreign minister to Ankara on Wednesday.

The appointment of trustees and other attacks on democratic rights by the government show that the renewed negotiations between Ankara and the PKK, which Ankara has been trying to suppress for 40 years,

Mongolian first lady Luvsandorj was warmly greeted by Emine Erdoğan in the capital, later officially signing the 'Global Zero Waste

Every pledge for a green future brings us one step closer to a cleaner, more sustainable and livable world,' says Emine Erdogan after counterpart signs Global Zero Waste Declaration of Goodwill - Anad

Officials say that Turkish Airlines will resume its flights to Damascus, Syria, next week after a halt of more than a decade.

Turkey has emerged as one of the most influential power brokers in Syria after rebels toppled Bashar al-Assad last month, ending his family's brutal five-decade rule.