Syria stands 'shoulder to shoulder' with Jordan and Gulf, foreign minister says

• The minister announced that the Joint Syrian-Jordanian Higher Strategic Council will hold its third session next month
• Al-Shaibani cited more than 1,000 'Israeli' strikes on Syrian soil over the past two years, demanding a return to pre-December 8, 2024 lines and the enforcement of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement

Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani reaffirmed Syria's alignment with Jordan and Arab Gulf nations, stating that Damascus rejects the use of its territory as a conduit for regional threats and views the stability of neighboring states as integral to its own security.

Speaking during a session titled "The Pillars of Regional Security" at the 22nd edition of the IISS Manama Dialogue, Al-Shaibani dismissed rumors of friction between Damascus and Amman, describing bilateral relations as robust and comprehensive across security, economic, and political domains. He confirmed that the Syrian-Jordanian Higher Strategic Council is scheduled to convene its third formal meeting next month, pointing also to a four-party security cooperation framework linking Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria to enforce border security and curb militant networks.

Addressing regional military tensions, Al-Shaibani stated that national efforts to control weaponry and police sovereign frontiers face severe complications due to recurring 'Israeli' military operations. According to Al-Shaibani, Syria has been subjected to over 1,000 strikes within two years, resulting in dozens of casualties. He urged international enforcement of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, an immediate withdrawal of forces to pre-December 8, 2024 positions, and adherence to UN Resolution 497 regarding the occupied Golan, while framing broader Middle Eastern stability as inseparable from a resolution in the Gaza Strip and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

On the domestic front, the foreign minister pointed to Syria’s formal entry into the Global Coalition against Daesh as an institutional benchmark marking Damascus's reintegration into multilateral security architecture. He underscored that the right to bear arms remains strictly bound to sovereign state authority, adding that Syria is prepared to extend its institutional experience to help resolve the problem of uncontrolled non-state militias in the wider region.

Concluding his remarks, Al-Shaibani noted milestones in Syria’s postwar transition, including the repeal of the US Caesar Act, the resumption of parliamentary life, and the return of an estimated 3.7 million displaced citizens, alongside ongoing compliance procedures with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). He concluded that recent sanctions relief and the removal of designations provide a pathway for international economic partnerships crucial for national and regional recovery.