Syria views the security and stability of Gulf states as an integral part of its own national security, Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani said on Saturday. He stated that Damascus would not remain on the sidelines if its neighbors faced aggression.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 22nd IISS Manama Dialogue in Bahrain, Al-Shaibani told Asharq News that post-Assad Syria was positioning itself as a trusted regional partner. He confirmed that Damascus was holding high-level discussions with Gulf nations regarding political, economic, security and military cooperation.
The conference, organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies from 30 October to 1 November, gathered delegations from more than 50 countries, including over 40 ministers, senior military commanders, and international organization leaders. Al-Shaibani told delegates that a stable Syria was essential for broader regional stability.
The minister confirmed ongoing talks about integrating Syria into a regional security and defence architecture alongside Gulf partners. This included consultations on the proposed Makkah Pact or equivalent collective security arrangements. He also condemned recent missile and drone attacks against Gulf states and Jordan.
Addressing recent Israeli strikes in the Daraa countryside, Al-Shaibani said intensive communications with Jordanian officials had helped contain the situation. He expressed confidence that bilateral relations were too deep to be compromised by temporary friction and said border coordination discussions focused on refining existing mechanisms.
During a plenary session on regional security, Al-Shaibani described Syria’s decision to join the international coalition against Daesh as a historic step. He stated that Damascus had turned the page on the ousted regime’s legacy and was working to restore state institutions and confront cross-border crime.
Al-Shaibani stated that arms must derive their legitimacy exclusively from the state. He offered to share Syria’s experience in addressing militias and weapons outside government control, while calling for increased intelligence-sharing and operational coordination to stop cross-border smuggling networks.
The minister reported that Syria had faced more than 1,000 Israeli attacks in less than two years, causing dozens of deaths. He called for a return to the lines in place before 8 December 2024, and full implementation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between Syria and Israel. He reiterated that the Golan Heights remained Syrian territory under UN Security Council Resolution 497.
Regional stability also required ending the suffering in Gaza and establishing an independent Palestinian state, Al-Shaibani added. Domestically, he acknowledged that the new authorities had inherited a corrupt administrative system from the former government, which slowed recovery efforts. He said parliamentary life had resumed and over 3.7 million Syrians had returned home.
Syria was cooperating transparently with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the International Atomic Energy Agency, according to the minister. He welcomed the lifting of broad sanctions and the removal of Syria from terrorism-related lists.
"Syria has left the trenches of conflict to take its place at the table where security is shaped," Al-Shaibani told reporters in Bahrain.
