ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Saturday that Damascus is holding discussions regarding the possibility of joining the Mecca defense pact signed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan.

“There are certainly ongoing discussions to evaluate Syria's entry into the Mecca alliance,” Shaibani said at the Manama Dialogue conference in Bahrain.

In early August, Riyadh, Ankara, and Turkey signed a high-profile mutual defense accord termed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, which asserts that any attack against one of the signatory states "shall be regarded as an attack against them all.”

Saudi Arabia and Turkey are key backers of Syria’s government, which came to power following the ouster of the Assad regime in December 2024.

“Regardless of whether Syria joins this pact or any other alliance by whatever name, Syria is genuinely part of the region's security and stands alongside any security framework that protects regional security,” he said. 

Riyadh has faced escalating attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, including strikes this month that severely disrupted operations at its international airport.

The agreement has since been activated by Saudi Arabia in October, with both Ankara and Islamabad now providing support to Saudi forces after Houthi rebels, a long-term ally of Iran, began long-range ballistic missile strikes deep into Saudi population centers.

The pact also provides for cooperation in military, intelligence, and defense-related matters.

Pakistan’s military spokesperson, Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, told Reuters in an interview on Friday that the Mecca defense pact does not exclude new members, saying, “Anyone who has a shared ‌vision of ⁠collective deterrence and regional peace, why not? Everyone is most welcome.”