Syria Evaluates Joining Mecca Defence Pact

Syria is evaluating whether to join the Mecca defence pact linking Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said at a regional security conference in Bahrain. His remarks describe consideration of membership, not a formal application or a decision to join. Al-Shaibani said discussions were underway to assess Syria’s entry into the alliance during the Manama Dialogue. He also described Syria as part of regional security and supported developing joint defence and deterrence frameworks, according to his conference remarks. The agreement, signed by Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan in Mecca in August, treats an armed attack on one member as an attack on all three. The pact’s collective-defence provision is its central commitment. Any Syrian membership would require approval from all three founding states, and al-Shaibani said no final decision had been announced. Al-Shaibani had also said in late August, during a visit to Pakistan, that Syria had reviewed the agreement but had not decided whether to join. The latest comments indicate that Damascus is continuing to assess the possibility; they do not establish that an accession process has formally...