WorldPosted at: Nov 1 2026 7:13PM


Syria offers Gulf security cooperation, condemns Israeli strikes and sovereignty violations

Manama, Nov 1 (UNI) Syria considers the security and stability of Gulf countries an integral part of its own national security and will not remain a bystander in the event of aggression against its neighbours, Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani said.
Al-Shaibani said Damascus has been holding high-level discussions with Gulf countries on political, economic, security and military cooperation, describing post-Assad Syria as a reliable regional partner. rain,
"We will not stand by as a spectator in the face of any aggression against the Gulf states," Asharq News quoted him as saying during the 22nd IISS Manama Dialogue in Bahrain, adding that stability in Syria was essential to wider regional security.
The minister said Syria is discussing the possibility of joining a regional security and defence framework with Gulf partners, including consultations on the proposed Makkah Pact or similar collective security arrangements.
He said Damascus stood with Gulf states and Jordan against aggression and condemned missile and drone attacks, stressing that Syria's regional policy is based on international law, respect for sovereignty and cooperation with neighbouring countries.
"Geography is destiny, and integration is a choice," Al-Shaibani said, describing Syria as a potential bridge for regional prosperity and economic cooperation rather than a source of threats to its neighbours.
The Manama Dialogue, organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies from October 30 to November 1, has brought together delegations from more than 50 countries, including over 40 ministers and senior military commanders, as well as leaders of international organisations.
Al-Shaibani said intensive communications with Jordanian officials has helped contain tensions following recent Israeli strikes in the Daraa countryside.
He said Jordan's leadership understood the importance of resolving the situation while protecting Syrian rights and preventing similar incidents from recurring.
"Relations between Syria and Jordan are far too deep to be compromised by temporary friction," he said, expressing confidence that the two countries could overcome their differences.
On border security, Al-Shaibani said discussions were focused on improving existing coordination mechanisms rather than negotiating an entirely new agreement. Any arrangement, he added, must respect the sovereignty of both countries and ensure effective joint border control.
Speaking earlier at a plenary session on regional security, the minister described Syria's decision to join the international coalition against Islamic State, also known as Daesh, as a historic step.
He said the authorities in Damascus are seeking to move beyond the legacy of the ousted government, restore state institutions and tackle cross-border crime.
Al-Shaibani said the state should have exclusive authority over weapons and called for greater intelligence-sharing and operational coordination to combat cross-border smuggling networks.
He warned that actions taken outside agreed coordination mechanisms could undermine trust between neighbouring countries.
Al-Shaibani said Syria has faced more than 1,000 Israeli attacks in less than two years, resulting in dozens of deaths.
He condemned the repeated strikes, questioning how efforts to strengthen border security and bring weapons under state control could be reconciled with continued violations of Syrian sovereignty.
Damascus is seeking a return to the lines in place before December 8, 2024, and the implementation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between Syria and Israel, he said.
He reiterated that the Golan Heights remained Syrian territory, citing UN Security Council Resolution 497, which declared Israel's 1981 decision to impose its laws and administration on the occupied territory null and void and without international legal effect.
Al-Shaibani also said lasting regional stability would require an end to the suffering in Gaza and a clear path towards the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
Al-Shaibani said the new authorities has inherited an administrative system affected by corruption and institutions shaped to serve the former government.
He acknowledged that restructuring state institutions is slowing recovery and complicating efforts to establish lasting domestic stability.UNI XC AAB
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