World

Syria Weighs Joining Saudi‑Turkish‑Pakistani Defence Pact

By AFP and Anadolu

Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al‑Shaibani said at the Manama Dialogue conference in Bahrain that Damascus is evaluating whether to join the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, a mutual defence pact signed in August by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan. The agreement, signed in Mecca, stipulates that an attack on one member is an attack on all three and has been likened to NATO. Saudi Arabia, which is under heavy attack from Yemen’s Houthi rebels, is a key backer of President Ahmed al‑Sharaa’s government, which came to power after Bashar al‑Assad’s fall in December 2024. Under the pact, Turkey and Pakistan have pledged military support to Riyadh amid escalating Houthi attacks, although neither country has announced any direct action against the Houthis. Turkish officials have said future support would not involve deploying Turkish troops to Yemen. Al‑Shaibani stated that Syria considers itself an integral part of regional security and would back any framework aimed at protecting stability. He urged the development of joint deterrence and defence systems, and said Syria supports the Saudi‑backed Yemeni government’s efforts to restore sovereignty and stability across Yemen’s territory. He also warned that Israel has carried out more than 1,000 attacks on Syria in less than two years, killing dozens, and questioned the justification for calls for border control and exclusive state control of weapons while Syrian sovereignty is repeatedly violated.