Syrian Foreign Minister Visits Pakistan for First Time in Nearly Two Decades

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani arrived in Islamabad on Thursday for an official visit, marking the first time a Syrian foreign minister has visited Pakistan since May 2007. During the trip, Shibani met with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, and military chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. The two nations reaffirmed their brotherly relations and agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation across various sectors. The discussions covered regional developments including Afghanistan, South Asia, the Palestinian territories, and the Israeli occupied Golan Heights.

The visit occurs as Syria's transitional leadership seeks international engagement following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in 2024. A center leaning source notes that the visit follows the recent signing of the Mecca pact, a joint defense agreement between Pakistan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia that commits the members to mutual defense. This source further highlights that the agreement reflects joint interests in Syria, where Turkey maintains close ties with the authorities led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Additionally, the visit follows a recent Israeli attack on the Abu al-Duhur air base in northwest Syria. Both sources report that Pakistan's Foreign Office strongly condemned the unprovoked attack, stating that such actions violate international law and undermine regional peace and stability. While a center leaning source emphasizes the visit's connection to new regional alignments and defense pacts, a center left leaning source frames the visit primarily as a step toward enhancing bilateral relations and regional engagement for Syria's new government.