The SC
INT'L MOD
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani confirmed on Saturday that discussions are underway to assess Syria's potential membership in the "Mecca Alliance."
The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) quoted al-Shaibani as saying, in a speech today during a session on the pillars of regional security at the 22nd Manama Dialogue Forum 2026, that Damascus is an integral part of the region's security and stands with any system that protects its stability. He noted that the region is in dire need of developing joint deterrence and defense systems.
He added that Syria has overcome sensitive and difficult phases and broken through the wall of mistrust to become a true and strategic partner in the region's security and stability. He stressed that no country in the region can consider its security in isolation, and that Syria's security and stability are achieved through regional integration. He considered the security of the Arabian Gulf an integral part of Syria's regional security, and vice versa.
He explained that border security is a bilateral responsibility that depends on both parties, noting the significant cooperation between Syria and Iraq, Lebanon, and Jordan to ensure border security and stability. He affirmed that there are no skirmishes with Jordan, but rather a comprehensive relationship in the security and military sectors through the Supreme Strategic Council, which will hold its third session next month.
Al-Shaibani pointed out that the region faces the challenges of cross-border militias and those operating outside the framework of the state, which undermine decisions regarding peace and war. He reviewed the successful Syrian experience in expelling the militias that plunged the country into a devastating fourteen-year war, emphasizing the possibility of transferring this experience and deepening coordination with countries suffering from the same problem, because any weapon outside the control of the state weakens the state itself before it harms others and neighboring countries. Minister Al-Shaibani affirmed Syria's support for the governments and peoples of the Gulf states in confronting the challenges and cross-border militias, explaining that work is underway in Syria to build a national army that protects the homeland's borders and its supreme interests.
