Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani arrived in Islamabad Wednesday evening. He is in Pakistan for a two-day official visit that concludes August 20. Invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. Al-Shaibani traveled with a senior Syrian delegation. On his arrival, he was met at the airport by officials of Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Key Takeaways
- Syrian FM al-Shaibani visits Pakistan Aug. 19-20 at Dar’s invitation
- Syrian foreign minister’s first visit to Pakistan in 19 years
- Al-Shaibani expected to meet with PM Shehbaz Sharif besides Dar
- The visit comes after Pakistan condemned an Israeli strike on a Syrian airbase
- Discussions on economic and defense cooperation, regional developments to be held
#Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani opened talks in the #Pakistani capital Islamabad on Thursday, the Foreign Ministry @ForeignOfficePk said. This is the first visit by the Syrian Foreign Minister to Pakistan in nearly 19 years. The two Foreign Ministers will hold a… pic.twitter.com/Fa6W7yEp6O
— Tahir Khan (@taahir_khan) August 20, 2026
A Visit Almost 20 Years in the Making
This trip carries real historical heft. This is the highest-level visit by a Syrian official to Pakistan since the fall of the government of Bashar al-Assad in 2024 and the first by a Syrian foreign minister to the country in nineteen years. Other Syrian ministers have visited Islamabad since the change in Damascus but not at this level before.
Al-Shaibani was named foreign minister in the administration of President Ahmad al-Sharaa after the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. Since taking office, he’s built up a pretty active diplomatic record. He was the first Syrian official to visit Russia, Lebanon, the United Kingdom and China since Assad’s fall, and the first Syrian official to visit the U.S. in 25 years. His visit to Islamabad adds Pakistan to the growing list.
Talks to cover whole spectrum of bilateral ties
During the visit, Pakistani and Syrian officials will hold comprehensive talks on the entire spectrum of bilateral relations. Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister, and other senior ministers are also expected to meet al-Shaibani besides Dar. Sources at the Foreign Office said the two sides are expected to discuss ways to revive and expand cooperation in a number of sectors, including the economy and defense.
This is not a cold start. Al-Shaibani met with a Pakistani delegation in Damascus last June. PM Shehbaz had earlier this year, in March, spoken to Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa over the situation that was escalating in the Middle East. Islamabad and Damascus have had diplomatic relations for decades, partly based on military cooperation and training exchanges over the years.
The Backdrop: A Region in Distress
It’s hard to separate the timing of this visit from recent events. Islamabad had strongly condemned an Israeli strike on the Abu al-Duhur Airbase in Syria’s north-western province of Idlib a day before al-Shaibani’s arrival as unprovoked. That condemnation cuts sharp on a visit already expected to touch on regional and international developments of shared concern.
Beyond the bilateral agenda, the two governments appear to be using this visit as a wider signal that Pakistan-Syria relations are being actively rebuilt after years of limited high-level contact, and that Islamabad is positioning itself as an engaged voice on the Syria file at a moment of renewed regional tension.
