{"id":67403,"date":"2026-08-21T14:14:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T14:14:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/?p=67403"},"modified":"2026-08-21T14:14:57","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T14:14:57","slug":"syrian-focus-is-on-israeli-disengagement-us-is-mediating-if-pakistan-is-willing-for-mediation-and-if-iran-admits-what-it-did-to-my-country-we-are-ready-to-sit-on-table-al-shaibani","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/syrian-focus-is-on-israeli-disengagement-us-is-mediating-if-pakistan-is-willing-for-mediation-and-if-iran-admits-what-it-did-to-my-country-we-are-ready-to-sit-on-table-al-shaibani\/","title":{"rendered":"Syrian Focus is on Israeli Disengagement | US is Mediating | IF Pakistan is willing for Mediation and IF Iran admits what it Did to my country , We are Ready to Sit on Table : Al-Shaibani"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-67267\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Syria-Foreign-Minister.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"464\" height=\"324\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Syria-Foreign-Minister.jpg 464w, https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Syria-Foreign-Minister-300x209.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Syria-Foreign-Minister-100x70.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 464px) 100vw, 464px\" \/><strong>Middle East Monitoring Desk Islamabad<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Iran would first have to acknowledge what it had done to Syria and its people before any future Pakistan-led mediation could help restore ties between Damascus and Tehran, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani said on Thursday.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Shaibani was speaking to journalists in Islamabad during his first official visit to Pakistan since the December 2024 overthrow of Bashar Assad, whose government was a close Iranian ally, Arab News reported.<\/p>\n<p>Tehran provided Assad with extensive military and financial support during Syria\u2019s nearly 14-year civil war, including through Iran-backed armed groups that fought alongside government forces.<\/p>\n<p>Asked whether Islamabad, which has mediated between Iran and the United States during their recent conflict, could play a similar role between Damascus and Tehran, Shaibani said no such proposal had been made during his visit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are, of course, very happy and proud of the historic role that was played by Pakistan in the mediation between the USA and Iran, and the breakthrough that has come in an appropriate time to stop this war,\u201d he said through an interpreter.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"mOvURbuSFf\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/foreign-minister-syria-calls-on-cdf-pakistan-sides-discuss-enhanced-bilateral-defence-and-security-cooperation\/\">Foreign Minister Syria calls on CDF Pakistan | Sides discuss enhanced bilateral defence and security cooperation<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Foreign Minister Syria calls on CDF Pakistan | Sides discuss enhanced bilateral defence and security cooperation&#8221; &#8212; Pakistan In the World\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/foreign-minister-syria-calls-on-cdf-pakistan-sides-discuss-enhanced-bilateral-defence-and-security-cooperation\/embed\/#?secret=bX4nukS2oU#?secret=mOvURbuSFf\" data-secret=\"mOvURbuSFf\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn this visit, there was no offering of mediating between Iran and Syria,\u201d he added. \u201cIn the future, if the causes of such mediation or such talk with Iran are in place, and if Iran recognized and admitted what it has done to Syria and to the Syrian people, and if Pakistan is willing to have a role in such talks, so we have no problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shaibani said diplomacy with Tehran was not permanently off the table but relations could not move toward an exchange of visits until Iran addressed its role in Syria under Assad.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDiplomacy has no limits,\u201d he said. \u201cSo when we see that such a scenario fits into the interest of the Syrian state and the Syrian people, and there are genuine justification of that and a real solution for what Iran has done to our people in the past 14 years, so this might happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Makkah\u00a0defense\u00a0pact<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Shaibani said Syria was also studying whether to join a new joint defense agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and T\u00fcrkiye, but had not yet taken a decision.<\/p>\n<p>The Makkah Joint Defense Agreement, signed by the three countries on Aug. 7, stipulates that an armed attack against one of its members would be considered an attack against all three.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs for the Makkah Agreement, we observed this agreement just as did all other countries, and we understand that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and Turkiye are very important countries in the region,\u201d Shaibani said.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"lfNSLVRB9s\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/prime-minister-pakistan-invites-president-syria-ahmed-al-sharaa-to-undertake-official-visit-assures-support-on-golan-heights\/\">Prime Minister Pakistan Invites President Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa to Undertake Official Visit | Assures Support on Golan Heights<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Prime Minister Pakistan Invites President Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa to Undertake Official Visit | Assures Support on Golan Heights&#8221; &#8212; Pakistan In the World\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/prime-minister-pakistan-invites-president-syria-ahmed-al-sharaa-to-undertake-official-visit-assures-support-on-golan-heights\/embed\/#?secret=XZF2KXB8Bd#?secret=lfNSLVRB9s\" data-secret=\"lfNSLVRB9s\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cOf course, we are studying our options,\u201d he continued. \u201cWe don\u2019t have a decision right now whether to join or not to join this alliance. This is something that will be kept for the future.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>His comments came amid renewed tensions with Israel, which carried out eight airstrikes on Syria\u2019s Abu Al-Duhur air base this week, damaging its runway and storage areas. Israel said the strikes were intended to prevent a potential deployment of Turkish forces at the facility, while T\u00fcrkiye denied it had personnel there.<\/p>\n<p><strong>ISRAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Shaibani accused Israel of seeking to prevent Syria from stabilizing and rebuilding since Assad\u2019s overthrow and said it had violated the 1974 Disengagement Agreement by advancing into the buffer zone separating Israeli and Syrian forces.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe relationship with Israel is tense,\u201d he said, adding: \u201cIsrael is seeking not to give space to Syria to have stability in the country or to rebuild the country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>But Shaibani said Damascus did not want another war and that US mediation was underway to de-escalate tensions and seek a security agreement between Syria and Israel.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe want to reconstruct the country, we want the stability of Syria and the region, we don\u2019t want to go into war with Israel, and we want Israel to stop its aggression against Syria,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"b5O9QPPvsb\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/pakistan-supports-syrias-sovereignty-unity-and-territorial-integrity-syria-welcomes-makkah-joint-defence-agreement\/\">Pakistan supports Syria\u2019s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity | Syria welcomes Makkah Joint Defence Agreement<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Pakistan supports Syria\u2019s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity | Syria welcomes Makkah Joint Defence Agreement&#8221; &#8212; Pakistan In the World\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/pakistan-supports-syrias-sovereignty-unity-and-territorial-integrity-syria-welcomes-makkah-joint-defence-agreement\/embed\/#?secret=8K23zYcYvj#?secret=b5O9QPPvsb\" data-secret=\"b5O9QPPvsb\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Abraham Accord<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Asked whether Syria could eventually join the Abraham Accords, under which several Arab states established relations with Israel, he said it was too early to discuss a strategic agreement while Israeli attacks continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn order to get into any strategic agreement, we need to have an appropriate environment for discussing any future relations,\u201d he said. \u201cRight now, all of our concern is to stop the aggressions of Israel against Syria.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Turkiye Major Supporter<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Shaibani also described T\u00fcrkiye, a major supporter of Syria\u2019s new administration, as an important \u201cpartner and ally\u201d and said Damascus wanted Ankara to play a role in the country\u2019s reconstruction.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur relationship with Turkiye is in the open, it\u2019s very clear, and it\u2019s not secret,\u201d he said, adding that Syria was a sovereign country that would choose its alliances and partnerships according to its national interests.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pakistan-Syria ties<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In response to a question about Syria\u2019s relations with Pakistan, Shaibani said his visit had opened the way for expanded cooperation between Islamabad and Damascus, with the two sides agreeing to revive their <strong>Joint Ministerial Commission<\/strong> and work toward restoring <strong>direct flights<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Both countries also agreed to establish a <strong>Pakistan-Syria Business Council<\/strong>, hold an investment forum in Damascus and exchange military, economic and trade delegations, he said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Diplomatic Representation\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Shaibani said the two countries also intended to raise their diplomatic representation to ambassadorial level, adding that formal diplomatic representation had never been interrupted.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe most important thing in any relationship is to have the political will and the good intentions to improve these relations, and to have mutual respect and joint interests or common interests in order to have a healthy relationship,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p data-gtm-vis-recent-on-screen109681369_148=\"1360264\" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen109681369_148=\"1360264\" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time109681369_148=\"100\" data-gtm-vis-has-fired109681369_148=\"1\"><strong>\u201cThat\u2019s what we have found today in our meetings with all the Pakistani officials. We found that we are on the same page, we have the same concerns, and we have the same goals, and we want to improve this relationship.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Shaibani met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir during the visit.<\/p>\n<p>Pakistan reaffirmed its support for Syria\u2019s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, while the two sides discussed cooperation in trade, investment, defense, education and people-to-people exchanges.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"k94M3MzDr5\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/pakistan-in-the-world-march-april-2026\/\">Pakistan in the World \u2013 March \/ April 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Pakistan in the World \u2013 March \/ April 2026&#8221; &#8212; Pakistan In the World\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/pakistan-in-the-world-march-april-2026\/embed\/#?secret=JOz0aY75Yp#?secret=k94M3MzDr5\" data-secret=\"k94M3MzDr5\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Middle East Monitoring Desk Islamabad Iran would first have to acknowledge what it had done to Syria and its people before any future Pakistan-led mediation could help restore ties between Damascus and Tehran, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani said on Thursday. Shaibani was speaking to journalists in Islamabad during his first official visit to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":67267,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[91],"tags":[3198,8310,8729,1622,197,285,552,8728,3847,1183,319,2070,48,426],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67403"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67403"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67403\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67409,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67403\/revisions\/67409"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67267"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}