Syrian FM Asaad al-Shaibani due in Islamabad today

ISLAMABAD: Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani is due here on Wednesday for a two-day official visit, marking the first visit by a Syrian foreign minister to Pakistan in nearly two decades as the two countries seek to revive political, economic and security cooperation.

Mr Shaibani is expected to hold talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and call on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, besides meeting the ministers for defence and commerce, AFP quoted diplomatic sources as saying.

The visit, scheduled for Aug 19-20, comes as Syria’s transitional leadership pursues regional and international engagement following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in 2024.

The diplomatic source told AFP that Mr Shaibani was visiting the country at the invitation of Pakistan’s leadership and expressed hope that the visit would prove “historic for bilateral cooperation”.

The source said that while there was currently no formal framework for broad cooperation between the two countries, discussions were expected to cover defence, economic cooperation and reconciliation, besides regional developments and security issues in the Middle East.

The visit will be the first by a Syrian foreign minister since Walid al-Mouallem travelled to Pakistan in May 2007 and the first since the change of government in Damascus.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2026