Syria weighs joining the Mecca Pact, foreign minister says

Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani and the European Commissioner for Mediterranean talk to media after a bilateral meeting in the Berlaymont, the EU Commission headquarter on May 11, 2026 in Brussels, Belgium. The European Commission and Syrian Transitional Authorities have launched a new long-term partnership in Brussels to support Syria's recovery, featuring a Euro 15 million Technical Assistance Hub and a 620 million funding package for 20262027. This strategic shift marks a move from crisis response to sustained reconstruction efforts following the fall of the Assad regime and the lifting of EU sanctions. (Photo by Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)

BEIRUT — Months after the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the Mecca Pact , Syria has expressed interest in joining, its foreign minister said.

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

The Mecca Pact, signed on Aug. 7 , aims to “strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression, and stipulates that any armed attack against any one of the three states shall be regarded as an attack against them all. It further provides for the enhancement of all aspects of defense cooperation among the three states,” according to a joint statement by the three countries.

The three countries are expected to boost defense production cooperation with a trilateral ecosystem, experts told Breaking Defense in August. If Syria joins the alliance, it will be part of the defense production cooperation.

The Mecca Pact was signed amid increasing regional attacks from Iran-backed Houthis, and while Syria is recovering from a 14-year civil war that ended in December 2024.

Highlighting Syria’s stance amid the ongoing Iranian attacks on the Gulf states, al-Shaibani said that “Syria considers that the security of the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] and the Gulf is a part of its regional security and vice versa. Consequently, Syria stands by all the Gulf states. Regardless of any other political positions, we stand by the governments of the Gulf and the peoples of the Gulf to face all the challenges and all the trans-border militias.”

Al-Shaibani’s comments at the Manama Dialogue come as Syria eyes to end all foreign military bases in the country, according to a September speech by President Ahmad al-Sharaa. Al-Sharaa noted at the time that this move will allow the country to have “complete and pure sovereignty of the Syrian state.”

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Similarly, al-Shaibani said at the Manama dialogue that Syria has “expelled militias that have intervened in Syria, and it is possible to convey this experience and to expand cooperation and collaboration with other countries facing the same problem. Because any weapon outside the scope of the state will weaken the state before harming the others and harming the neighborhood.”

Syria is not the only Arab state that might join the pact. Defense expert Riad Kahwaji told Breaking Defense in August that Qatar and Kuwait are other possible candidates.

“We already have a defense pact between Kuwait and Pakistan, and we have another one between Qatar and Turkey. So I believe these two countries would be the most likely first candidates to join this this pact,” Kahwaji said.

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2026年5月11日，叙利亚外交与侨民事务部长阿萨德·哈桑·沙伊巴尼与欧盟地中海事务专员在比利时布鲁塞尔欧盟委员会总部贝莱蒙举行双边会晤后接受媒体采访。欧盟委员会与叙利亚过渡当局在布鲁塞尔启动了一项新的长期伙伴关系，旨在支持叙利亚的重建工作，其中包括设立一个价值1500万欧元的技术援助中心，以及一项2026-2027年度总额达6.2亿欧元的资金计划。这一战略转变标志着在阿萨德政权垮台和欧盟解除制裁后，各方的工作重心从危机应对转向持续的重建工作。（图片来源：Thierry Monasse/Getty Images）

贝鲁特——叙利亚外交大臣表示，在沙特阿拉伯王国、土耳其和巴基斯坦签署《麦加条约》数月后，叙利亚已表示有兴趣加入该条约。

阿萨德·谢巴尼周六在巴林举行的国际战略研究所麦纳麦对话期间表示，“目前正在讨论评估叙利亚加入麦加联盟的问题”。

根据三国联合声明，8月7日签署的《麦加条约》旨在“加强对任何侵略行为的集体威慑，并规定任何针对三国中任何一个国家的武装攻击均应视为对三国的攻击。该条约还规定加强三国间各方面的防务合作。”

专家在8月份向《防务新闻》透露，这三个国家有望通过三边合作体系加强国防生产合作。如果叙利亚加入该联盟，它也将成为国防生产合作的一部分。

《麦加条约》是在伊朗支持的胡塞武装不断发动地区袭击，以及叙利亚从长达 14 年的内战中恢复过来之际签署的，这场内战于 2024 年 12 月结束。

针对伊朗持续袭击海湾国家，叙利亚外长沙伊巴尼强调了叙利亚的立场，他表示：“叙利亚认为，海湾合作委员会和海湾地区的安全是其区域安全的一部分，反之亦然。因此，叙利亚与所有海湾国家站在一起。无论其他政治立场如何，我们都与海湾各国政府和人民站在一起，共同应对所有挑战和跨境武装分子。”

沙伊巴尼在麦纳麦对话上的言论正值叙利亚总统艾哈迈德·沙拉在9月份的讲话中表示，叙利亚正计划关闭该国境内所有外国军事基地。沙拉当时指出，此举将使叙利亚拥有“完全和纯粹的主权”。

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同样，沙伊巴尼在麦纳麦对话中表示，叙利亚已经“驱逐了干预叙利亚局势的民兵组织，可以借鉴这一经验，并与其他面临同样问题的国家扩大合作。因为任何超出国家控制范围的武器都会先削弱叙利亚自身，然后才会损害其他国家和周边地区。”

叙利亚并非唯一可能加入该协议的阿拉伯国家。国防专家里亚德·卡瓦吉（Riad Kahwaji）8月份告诉《防务新闻》（Breaking Defense），卡塔尔和科威特也是可能的候选国。

“科威特和巴基斯坦之间已经有防务条约，卡塔尔和土耳其之间也有。所以我认为这两个国家最有可能成为首批加入这项条约的候选国，”卡瓦吉说。

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