Syria’s Foreign Minister Visits Pakistan for First Time in 19 Years Amid New Regional Alliances
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani has visited Pakistan for the first time in 19 years, as Damascus and Islamabad seek to strengthen bilateral ties amid major shifts in regional alliances.
During talks in Islamabad, al-Shibani and Pakistani Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar reaffirmed their longstanding relations and discussed expanding cooperation in areas of mutual interest. They also reviewed developments in Palestine, the occupied Golan Heights, Afghanistan and South Asia.
Al-Shibani welcomed the recent Pakistan-Türkiye-Saudi Arabia mutual defence pact and praised Islamabad’s efforts to promote regional stability and ease tensions between the United States and Iran. He also met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir to discuss bilateral and security cooperation.
The visit comes shortly after Israel carried out airstrikes on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur airbase in Idlib. Pakistan condemned the attack, warning that such actions could further threaten regional peace and stability.
The August 7 defence agreement between Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia has added a new dimension to the regional landscape, with the three countries pledging greater military coordination, intelligence sharing, training and defence cooperation.
Pakistan and Syria have also been working to rebuild relations since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024, with both sides seeking stronger trade, diplomatic and security cooperation.
