Azerbaijan Begins Natural Gas Supplies to Syria

Azerbaijan will start supplying natural gas to Syria on August 1st, according to the Turkish publication Akşam. The fuel will be transported to the Arab Republic via Turkey.

In the initial phase, 1.2 billion cubic meters of gas per year are planned for delivery. The fuel will primarily be used in combined-cycle power plants in the Syrian provinces of Aleppo and Homs for electricity generation.

Supplies will be carried out via a pipeline running from the Turkish city of Kilis to the Syrian border.

Final agreements on gas supplies from Azerbaijan to Syria were reached on July 12th during the visit of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to Baku.

During Ahmed al-Sharaa's visit, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) and the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic.

Previously, the Middle Eastern publication "Middle East" reported that at the first bilateral meeting between Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in April in Antalya, Damascus expressed interest in SOCAR's involvement in the Syrian oil and gas sector. Specifically, this included the possibility of the company participating in the development of oil and gas fields in northeastern Syria (most of which is controlled by the US-backed "Syrian Democratic Forces" (SDF) armed groups).