Minister: Azerbaijan to supply 3.4 million cubic metres of gas daily to Syria

Azerbaijan will begin delivering 3.4 million cubic metres of natural gas per day to Syria under a new agreement between the two countries, Syria’s Energy Minister Mohammed al-Bashir has announced.

Speaking to reporters in the Turkish border city of Kilis, where the new pipeline was inaugurated on August 2, al-Bashir said the deal marked a new phase in economic cooperation between Baku and Damascus, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

“This is not the last project between Azerbaijan and Syria. The gas export agreement is only the first stage of long-term cooperation between our countries. We expect to implement much larger projects in the future,” he said.

The Syrian minister said he had held detailed talks with Azerbaijan’s Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov during the ceremony, discussing prospective investment programmes and projects that Azerbaijan could carry out in Syria.

“We had a constructive exchange of views on joint work. Soon, reciprocal visits of technical teams will be organised between Azerbaijan and Syria,” al-Bashir noted.

He also expressed gratitude to Azerbaijan, as well as to Türkiye and Qatar, for their support.

Earlier, Azerbaijan began exporting natural gas to Syria via Türkiye, in a move aimed at helping restore Syria’s war-damaged power sector and strengthening Türkiye’s role as a regional energy hub.

The first deliveries were inaugurated on August 2, at a ceremony in Yavuzlu, Kilis province, attended by senior officials from Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Qatar and Syria.

Azerbaijan’s Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov, Türkiye’s Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, Qatar Development Fund chief Fahad Hammad Hassan Al-Sulaiti and Syrian Energy Minister Mohammed Al-Bashir symbolically turned a valve to mark the start of gas flows.

The Kilis–Aleppo pipeline will initially transport 1.2 billion cubic metres of Azerbaijani gas annually to Syria, with supplies destined for power plants in Aleppo and Homs. The gas is expected to enable the generation of 1,200–1,300 megawatts of electricity, contributing to the repair of Syria’s damaged electrical grid.

The project follows an agreement between the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and the Syrian government, finalised on July 12 during Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa’s visit to Baku. Officials say the initiative marks an important step in regional energy cooperation and supports Türkiye’s ambition to act as a key transit and trading hub for natural gas.

By Aghakazim Guliyev