Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al Shaibani met with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar in Islamabad to hold talks on bilateral cooperation and regional developments, an official statement said.
Shaibani arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday night on his maiden two-day trip, his first since the overthrow of the Bashar al Assad regime in December 2024.
In a post on X, the Pakistan’s Foreign Office said the two sides held a “warm and constructive” restricted meeting, where they “reaffirmed the deep-rooted brotherly ties between Pakistan and Syria”.
The two also discussed advancing bilateral cooperation in areas of mutual interest and regional developments.
The Syrian foreign minister and his delegation met Dar at the foreign ministry, according to a statement from the ministry.
In addition to talks with Dar, al Shaibani is expected to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other top officials.
This is the first visit by a Syrian foreign minister to Pakistan in 19 years.
The last Syrian foreign minister to visit Pakistan was Walid al Mouallem in 2007, nearly two decades ago.
A Pakistani delegation met al Shaibani in Damascus last June.
Al Shaibani's visit comes as Islamabad on Wednesday "strongly" condemned an unprovoked attack carried out by Israeli occupation forces on the Abu al Duhur Airbase in Syria's north-western Idlib province.
Islamabad and Damascus have maintained relations for decades, strengthened by military cooperation and training exchanges.
Pakistan's embassy in Damascus remained open following Assad's overthrow, although bilateral cooperation between the two countries has remained limited over the past two years.
Pakistan and Syria formally established diplomatic relations in December 1949, two years after the creation of Pakistan.
