Damascus, Syria - December 08, 2024 The sudden changes in Syrian situation have not only caused turmoil in the country, but also brought more instability to the entire Middle East region, said Gao Zhikai, deputy director of the Global Think Tank on Sunday. In an interview with China Central Television on the sidelines of the Doha Forum in Qatar, Gao shared his views on the current situation in Syria, saying that there are still many uncertainties, and that the prospects are confusing in Syria, which may add variables to the turbulent situation in the Middle East and lead to further tensions in the region. Gao expressed the belief that other countries in the region, together with the rest of the international community, should take positive actions to push all parties concerned to the Syrian conflict to stop military operations and de-escalate the conflicts. In Syria, the rapid fall of President Bashar al-Assad's government on Sunday followed an intense rebel offensive spanning less than two weeks. The campaign culminated in the opposition's announcement that al-Assad had fled the capital and relinquished power. Shotlist: Damascus, Syria - Dec 8, 2024: 1. Various of footage showing Syrian rebels entering Damascus, pedestrians, traffic, audio of sporadic gunshots; Doha, Qatar - Dec 8, 2024 2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Gao Zhikai, deputy director, Global Think Tank (partially overlaid with shots 3-6): "There are a few key issues in the next stage. Firstly, what will happen to Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Secondly, what will happen to Russia's air force and naval bases in Syria? Will Russia withdraw from Syria or stay on in the country? Thirdly, what role will Syria's major neighboring countries, like Türkiye, Iran and Iraq, play? The situation in Syria should never be turned into a greater disaster. The change of regime in Syria should never lead to a fundamental deterioration of the overall situation in the Middle East."; [SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] FILE: Gaziantep, Türkiye - April 15, 2023 3. Aerial shot of cityscape, national flag of Türkiye; FILE: Istanbul, Türkiye - Aug 23, 2018 4. National flag of Türkiye; FILE: Tehran, Iran - April 10, 2023 5. National flags of Iran, cityscape; FILE: Baghdad, Iraq - Feb 3, 2024 6. National flag of Iraq; [SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] Damascus, Syria - Dec 8, 2024 7. Damaged vehicles in street; Damascus, Syria - Dec 8, 2024 8. Smoke billowing from building; 9. Pedestrians, traffic; Doha, Qatar - Dec 8, 2024 10. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Gao Zhikai, deputy director, Global Think Tank (partially overlaid with shot 11): "I think the international community can do a lot now. The first is to call for peace. No matter what happens, the conflicts in Syria must be stopped immediately. It's crucial for the United Nations and regional organizations in the Middle East to do something to realize peace and avoid chaos. If the current situation in Syria cannot be controlled well, it may lead to a worse disaster, which may leave Syrian people to more sufferings."; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] Homs, Syria - Recent 11. Various of damaged buildings, traffic, pedestrians; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 12. Various of damaged school buildings, displaced people in playground. [Restriction - No Access Chinese Mainland/Orient TV/Syria Alshaab TV/Zanoubia TV/Alhurra TV/ANN TV/Al Jazeera/ Al-Arabiya TV]