Syria considering entry into Mecca defence pact, says foreign minister

Damascus ‘evaluating’ whether to join the alliance that binds Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

Al Jazeera2026-10-31 14:20查看原文 ↗

Damascus ‘evaluating’ whether to join the alliance that binds Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani speaks during a plenary session of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Manama Dialogue 2026 in Manama, Bahrain, October 31 [AFP]

Syria’s government is weighing whether to enter into a mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan, the country’s top diplomat says.

“Discussions are currently under way to evaluate Syria’s entry into the Mecca alliance,” Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said at the Manama Dialogue conference in Bahrain on Saturday.

list 1 of 3 What is the Mecca defence pact?

list 2 of 3 Yemen fighting expands as Houthis attack Saudi airport again: What to know

list 3 of 3 What help can Egypt offer Saudi Arabia in the war against the Houthis?

The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement was signed by Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan in the Saudi city of Mecca in August. It states that an attack on one country is to be considered an attack on all three, and has been compared to the NATO security alliance that binds the United States, Canada and 30 European countries.

Saudi Arabia, under heavy fire from Yemen’s Houthis, is a key backer of Syria’s government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, which came to power after the fall of former strongman Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

Under the Mecca pact, Pakistan and Turkiye have pledged military support to Riyadh as it faces escalating attacks from the Iran-backed group. However, neither Islamabad nor Ankara has yet announced any attacks on the Houthis.

Government officials in Turkiye, where the pact’s ratification process is ongoing , have said any future military support for Riyadh would not include deploying Turkish troops to fight in Yemen or attack the Houthis.

Speaking at the conference in Bahrain, al-Shaibani said Damascus was an “integral” part of regional security and would support any framework aimed at protecting regional stability.

The minister stressed that the region was “in greater need than ever” of developing joint deterrence and defence systems.

He said Syria backs the efforts of Yemen’s Saudi-backed internationally recognised government to restore “sovereignty and stability across its entire territory” as it battles the Houthis, Syrian state media reported.

He also urged all parties to support the unity and sovereignty of states.

Separately, the minister said Israel has carried out more than 1,000 attacks on Syria in less than two years, killing dozens of people.

“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 asked.

大马士革正在“评估”是否加入由土耳其、沙特阿拉伯和巴基斯坦组成的联盟。

叙利亚外交部长阿萨德·沙伊巴尼于 10 月 31 日在巴林麦纳麦举行的国际战略研究所 (IISS) 2026 年麦纳麦对话全体会议上发表讲话 [法新社]

叙利亚最高外交官表示，叙利亚政府正在考虑是否与沙特阿拉伯、土耳其和巴基斯坦签订共同防御条约。

“目前正在进行讨论，以评估叙利亚加入麦加联盟的可能性，”外交大臣阿萨德·沙伊巴尼周六在巴林举行的麦纳麦对话会议上表示。

列表 1/3：什么是麦加防御条约？

也门战事升级，胡塞武装再次袭击沙特机场：你需要了解什么

问题 3（共 3 题）：埃及在打击胡塞武装的战争中能为沙特阿拉伯提供哪些帮助？

沙特阿拉伯、土耳其和巴基斯坦于8月在沙特阿拉伯城市麦加签署了《麦加联合防御协议》。该协议规定，对任何一个国家的攻击都将被视为对这三个国家的攻击，并被比作将美国、加拿大和30个欧洲国家联系在一起的北约安全联盟。

沙特阿拉伯正遭受也门胡塞武装的猛烈攻击，它是叙利亚总统艾哈迈德·沙拉领导的政府的主要支持者。该政府在2024年12月前强人巴沙尔·阿萨德倒台后上台执政。

根据《麦加条约》，巴基斯坦和土耳其承诺向利雅得提供军事支持，以应对伊朗支持的胡塞武装不断升级的袭击。然而，伊斯兰堡和安卡拉都尚未宣布对胡塞武装发动任何袭击。

土耳其政府官员表示，该条约的批准程序正在进行中，土耳其政府官员表示，未来对利雅得的任何军事支持都不会包括部署土耳其军队在也门作战或攻击胡塞武装。

沙伊巴尼在巴林举行的会议上发言时表示，大马士革是地区安全的“不可或缺”的一部分，并将支持任何旨在维护地区稳定的框架。