Syriaupdated 1h ago2 min read
Archive photo · 1 November 2025Asaad Al-Shaibani Says Syria Weighs Joining Mecca Defence Pact at Manama Dialogue 2026
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Syria is weighing entry into the Mecca Defence Alliance with Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan. Discussions are underway to evaluate Syria's accession to the pact, per Foreign Minister al-Shaibani.
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Syria weighs Mecca pact
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Damascus is weighing whether to join the Mecca Defence Pact, speaking during a regional security session at the Manama Dialogue 2026 in Bahrain. Al-Shaibani told the conference, "Discussions are currently underway to evaluate Syria's entry into the Mecca alliance," and he described Damascus as an "integral" part of regional security. Al-Shaibani linked the move to joint deterrence and defense systems, saying the region was "in greater need than ever" of developing joint deterrence and defence systems.
Al Jazeera reported that the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement was signed in Mecca in August and states that an attack on one country is to be considered an attack on all three. Al-Shaibani also used the same Manama Dialogue session to condemn Israeli actions, saying, "Our territory has been subjected to more than 1,000 Israeli attacks in less than two years, killing dozens."
Israel, Golan, and accountability
Al-Shaibani pressed for a return to the positions that existed before December 8, 2024 and called for implementation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between Syria and Israel. Al-Shaibani asked, "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?" as he condemned Israeli attacks on Syrian territory. The 1974 Disengagement Agreement had established a demilitarised buffer zone between Israeli and Syrian forces in the occupied Golan Heights area, with UN peacekeepers monitoring the separation.
The United Nations described Israel’s move into the separation zone as a violation of the 1974 agreement, after Israel expanded its military presence inside Syrian territory following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government on December 8, 2024. Al-Shaibani reiterated that the Golan Heights remains Syrian territory, pointing to UN Security Council Resolution 497 as the international reference on the issue.
Regional security stakes
Al-Shaibani framed Syria’s potential participation in the Mecca Defence Pact as support for a framework aimed at protecting regional stability, while he urged all parties to support the unity and sovereignty of states.
Al-Shaibani said Damascus would stand with Gulf states and peoples in facing cross-border militias, and he stressed that the security of the Arabian Gulf is part of Syria’s regional security.
The Mecca pact was signed by Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan, and it is described as a mutual defense arrangement that treats an attack on one as an attack on all three.
Daily Sabah said the pact was signed Aug. 7 in Mecca by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and it said the agreement allows collective right to self-defense under Article 51 of the U.N. Charter.
Al-Shaibani also tied the alliance question to wider regional risks, as he warned that a renewed major escalation between Iran and the United States could put Arab countries hosting US military bases at risk of Iranian drone and ballistic missile attacks.