Atlantic Council Discusses Syria's Potential Role in Mecca Alliance and Regional Security
The Atlantic Council is examining the implications of Syria potentially joining the Mecca Alliance, a mutual defense pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani indicated in April 2025 that Syria aspires to play a mediation role in global conflicts and, more recently, announced that Syria is considering joining the alliance. Ibrahim al-Assil, a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Syria Project, argues that while deepening bilateral cooperation with alliance members is beneficial for Syria's recovery, formal membership in the Mecca Alliance would not make Syria more secure nor strengthen the alliance. Al-Assil suggests that joining the alliance would expose Syria to new threats and could make the alliance appear as an anti-Israel front, given Israel's occupation of Syrian territory.
