Newsletters
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani stated Saturday that "discussions are currently underway to evaluate Syria’s entry into the Mecca alliance," the defense pact binding Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
Shaibani told the Manama Dialogue 2026 that Damascus is an "integral" part of regional security and would support any framework protecting regional stability, adding that the region needs joint deterrence and defense systems "more than ever."
He gave no details on the nature or timing of the consultations.
The three countries signed the pact in Mecca in August, with an attack on one considered an attack on all. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said the agreement is open to other countries. Türkiye’s parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee recently approved a bill to ratify the pact.
"Syria has left the trench of conflicts to take its place and standing at the table of regional security-making," Shaibani said.
He said Syria stands "shoulder to shoulder with the Gulf states and Jordan in the face of any aggression," condemning missile and drone attacks, "as the stability of the Gulf is a natural extension of Syria’s security."
Saudi Arabia, a key backer of Syria’s government, has been rallying support against escalating Houthi attacks, including a strike that closed Riyadh’s international airport for two weeks this month. France and the U.K. have sent forces to help protect Saudi Arabia.
Top Syrian diplomat also reaffirmed Syria's support for Yemen’s government in restoring its sovereignty.
1 min read
Shaibani described relations with Türkiye as distinguished and advanced in political, economic and military fields, adding that Syria’s military cooperation also includes Arab countries as Damascus rebuilds its national army.
He said Syria had joined the international coalition against Daesh and called the integration of armed groups in the northeast into state institutions a historic step.
"Our territory has been subjected to more than 1,000 Israeli attacks in less than two years, killing dozens," Shaibani said. "How can calls for border control and placing weapons exclusively under state control be justified while Syrian sovereignty is violated and targeted on a daily basis?"
He called for a return to the lines in place before Dec. 8, 2024, and implementation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, stressing that the Golan Heights is Syrian territory under U.N. Security Council Resolution 497.
"Any settlement that skips over the rights of Palestinians remains a fragile respite between two wars," he said.
Shaibani said more than 3.7 million Syrians have returned home since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, as Damascus weighs joining the Mecca pact.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
