Mekdad has denied accusations of his government's alleged crackdown on protesters after the start of the Syrian civil war. He has held interviews with Western and Arab Media outlets about the uprising, where he has spoken in support of Bashar al-Assad. He has promoted the government's claim that his government is fighting armed terrorist insurgents, and when asked by a BBC reporter whether he believes his government is winning the war, he responded saying "We shall win it, we are winning it, yes." Mekdad was a part of the delegation representing the Syrian government during the Geneva II Conference on Syria. The other members with him were Bashar Jaafari, Omran al-Zoubi, Bouthaina Shaaban, Walid Muallem, and Luna Shabal.