Syria’s FM pays Pakistan first visit in 19 years amid new regional alignments
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani is paying his office's first visit to Pakistan in nearly two decades after Islamabad, Ankara and Riyadh signed a joint defense pact.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani met on Thursday with his Pakistani counterpart, Muhammad Ishaq Dar, as the two sides seek to deepen their ties amid emerging regional realignments.
What happened: During their meeting, the first official visit to Islamabad by a top Syrian diplomat in 19 years, Shibani and Dar reaffirmed their countries' long-standing “brotherly” relations and agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in various areas of mutual interest, a Pakistani Foreign Ministry statement said.
The two officials also reviewed the latest regional and international developments, including in the Palestinian territories, the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Afghanistan and South Asia.
Dar stressed his country’s support for Syria’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. Shibani welcomed the mutual defense pact signed between Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia earlier this month, and praised Pakistan’s role in promoting regional peace and stability, as well as its mediation efforts to de-escalate tensions between the United States and Iran.
Shibani later met with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif to discuss bilateral relations and cooperation and developments in the region.
Shibani also held talks with Pakistan's powerful military chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir. They spoke about opportunities to strengthen cooperation between the two countries and the Syrian diplomat praised Pakistan’s role in supporting stability in the Middle East, according to SANA.
Why it matters: Shibani arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday evening for a two-day visit, accompanied by a high-level delegation, according to Syria’s state-run news agency, SANA.
Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50 received H.E. Mr. Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Syrian Arab Republic, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today.
The two Foreign Ministers will hold a tête-à-tête,… pic.twitter.com/OyV6zN4xEQ— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) August 20, 2026
On Tuesday, Israel launched a series of airstrikes at the Abu al-Duhur air base in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, where it claimed Turkey was planning to deploy forces. Ankara denied the accusations and condemned the attack.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Pakistani Foreign Office strongly condemned the “unprovoked” Israeli attack on the Syrian airbase, saying such acts could “further undermine regional peace and stability.”
The latest developments in Syria follow the Aug. 7 signing of the joint defense agreement between Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia that commits the three countries to treating an armed attack against one as an armed attack against all.
The agreement, dubbed the Mecca pact, calls for greater military coordination, including intelligence sharing, training, logistics and defense industry cooperation.
The defense agreement reflects the joint interests of the three countries, including in Syria, where Turkey enjoys close ties with the authorities led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who headed the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group that led the offensive against President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has been working to reengage in Syria in the diplomatic, economic and energy fields since the fall of the Assad regime.
Know more: Pakistan sought to maintain neutrality during the Syrian civil war. It had repeatedly rejected any foreign interference in Syria throughout the conflict, and rejected claims that Pakistani jihadists joined the fighting in the country.
Pakistan was one of the few countries to keep its embassy in Damascus open following the brutal crackdown led by Assad’s forces against the 2011 anti-regime protests. However, the last Syrian foreign minister to visit Pakistan was Walid al-Muallem in 2007, years before the civil war broke out.
Since the fall of Assad, Islamabad and Damascus have been seeking renewed ties.
In March, Sharaa spoke over the phone with Sharif about ways to boost trade relations and strengthen coordination in a way that contributes to regional security and stability.
In June 2025, Shibani hosted a Pakistani delegation to discuss regional and international developments and ways to develop bilateral cooperation.
