Syria’s government is currently assessing potential membership in the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, according to Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani. The pact was established by Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Pakistan in August and functions as a collective security arrangement, with signatories treating attacks on any member as attacks on all. The agreement has drawn comparisons to NATO, the transatlantic security alliance.
Saudi Arabia remains a major supporter of Syria’s current government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, which assumed power following the December 2024 fall of former ruler Bashar al-Assad. Riyadh has faced intensifying attacks from the Iran-backed Houthi group operating in Yemen. Under the Mecca pact framework, Pakistan and Turkiye have committed to providing military assistance to Saudi Arabia, though neither nation has announced actual military operations against the Houthis. Turkish officials have indicated that any future support would not involve deploying troops to Yemen or conducting direct attacks on the militant organization.
Addressing the Manama Dialogue conference in Bahrain, al-Shaibani characterized Damascus as central to regional security architecture. He stated that Syria supports efforts to restore stability in Yemen and emphasized the necessity for coordinated deterrence and defence mechanisms across the region. The foreign minister also called for international backing of state sovereignty and unity efforts.
Al-Shaibani separately raised concerns regarding Israel’s military activities, claiming that Israeli forces have conducted over 1,000 attacks on Syrian territory within the past two years, resulting in dozens of deaths. He questioned how demands for border security and centralized weapons control could be reconciled with what he described as daily violations of Syrian sovereignty.
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