By The South Asia Times

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and Syria on Thursday agreed to revitalize their long-standing bilateral relationship across political, economic, and defense sectors, as Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani arrived in Islamabad for the first high-level visit from Damascus in nearly two decades.

The visit, the first by a Syrian foreign minister to Pakistan since 2007, marks a significant diplomatic milestone following Syria's political transition in December 2024 and signals a mutual commitment to deepening ties between the two brotherly nations.

During a meeting at the Prime Minister's House, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed Al-Shaibani and conveyed his best wishes to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Recalling Pakistan's unwavering support for Syria throughout its prolonged conflict, the Prime Minister reaffirmed Islamabad's steadfast commitment to Syria's sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity, according to official statement.

"Pakistan firmly supports Syria's position on the Golan Heights," the Prime Minister stated, while also emphasizing the need to translate the historic friendship into enhanced cooperation across politics, defense, trade, investment, education, and human resource development.

The Prime Minister extended an official invitation to President al-Sharaa to undertake a visit to Pakistan at a mutually convenient date, reflecting Islamabad's desire to elevate bilateral engagement to the highest political level.

Prime Minister Sharif highlighted the importance of resuming direct flights between the two countries, noting that such connectivity would enhance people-to-people exchanges and facilitate thousands of Pakistani pilgrims who undertake religious visits to Syria annually. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, SAPM Syed Tariq Fatemi, and Foreign Secretary Amb. Amna Baloch was also present during the meeting.

Earlier, Al-Shaibani visited the Ministry of Commerce, where he met Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan. The Syrian Foreign Minister briefed Pakistani officials on Syria's reconstruction and development priorities, identifying housing, real estate, energy, transportation, seaports, agriculture, industry, and human-resource development as key areas for collaboration.

Jam Kamal Khan highlighted Pakistan's diverse export potential in textiles, pharmaceuticals, leather, sports goods, food processing, rice, and information technology. He emphasized that the complementary strengths of both economies offered considerable scope for mutually beneficial cooperation.

Al-Shaibani noted that the current volume of bilateral trade did not reflect the true potential of the two countries and stressed the need for sustained institutional engagement. He proposed establishing a Pakistan-Syria Joint Business Council to facilitate direct interaction between the business communities and suggested convening a joint investment forum in Damascus.

The Commerce Minister proposed reviving the Pakistan-Syria Joint Ministerial Commission and its working groups to provide a structured framework for advancing cooperation. He also suggested arranging virtual meetings between Pakistani and Syrian businesses ahead of in-person engagements to facilitate focused business matchmaking.

Al-Shaibani informed Jam Kamal Khan that a delegation from Syria's Ministry of Economy would visit Pakistan to further explore bilateral cooperation opportunities. The Commerce Minister expressed Pakistan's willingness to send a trade and business delegation to Syria and strengthen its trade representation in the country.

The Syrian Foreign Minister's visit comes at a time of evolving regional dynamics, with Pakistan expressing solidarity with Syria's reconstruction efforts and its people's resilience in restoring essential infrastructure and public services