Syria is holding discussions about joining the Mecca pact or other regional security arrangements with Gulf countries, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani told Asharq Bloomberg on Saturday.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain, Shaibani said Damascus wanted closer political, military and security cooperation with Gulf states and regarded their stability as part of Syria’s own security.
He said Syria would contribute within international law and the limits of its capabilities while it continued recovering from 14 years of war.
The interview did not announce a decision to join an alliance or a timetable for completing the consultations.
Source: Asharq Bloomberg interview
File photo: Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani speaks in Brussels on May 11, 2026; not the Manama interview. Credit: Claudio Centonze / European Union, 2026. CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Unmodified photograph.
