Azerbaijan will export 1.2 billion cubic metres of gas annually to Syria via Turkey, marking a significant shift in regional energy cooperation.
The gas will be exported from the BP-operated Shah Deniz gas field in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea and transported via Turkey through a pipeline linking Turkey and Syria, SOCAR Vice President Elshad Nasirov said on August 2 while addressing the ceremony to launch a gas pipeline to Syria in southern Turkish city of Kilis on Syrian border.
According to Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, the deal will oversee the deliveries of around 6 million cubic meters of gas per day, while the current delivery plan foresees exports of 1.2 billion cubic meters annually. The export deal follows the agreements signed earlier this year between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa, Azerbaijan’s Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov told Reuters. The minister stated that gas supplies will be transported to Syria in a coordinated manner, stressing that the new deal highlights Azerbaijan’s ability to export gas not only to Europe but to “the East and the South”.
The gas deal underlines Turkey’s efforts to normalize relations with Damascus following the ousting of Bashar al-Assad by opposition forces in December. It also underlines Ankara’s growing role in reconstruction of neighbouring Syria after 13 years of civil war in which Turkey supported the opposition forces. Meanwhile, Syrian Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bashir said Azerbaijan’s gas supplies would support needs of conflict-affected parts of the country and would also allow for an additional four hours of electricity supplies per day in those areas by increasing generation by approximately 750 mega watts.
