A delegation from the Ministry of Energy will visit Syria “soon” to discuss possible energy cooperation, including electricity transmission to alleviate electricity shortages, the Minister of Energy and Energy said on Monday evening. Natural resources, Alparslan Bayraktar.

Turkey recently reopened its embassy in Damascus and its intelligence chief and Foreign Minister met with Syria’s new de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime earlier this month.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said last week that Ankara would do whatever is “necessary” for Syria’s reconstruction, including improving energy ties.

“A delegation from the Ministry of Energy will visit Syria as soon as possible and carry out examinations on Syria’s electricity and energy infrastructure,” Bayraktar told reporters.

The Turkish delegation will also discuss energy cooperation with the new Syrian government and possible assistance from Turkey on this issue, he said.

The collapse of the Ba’ath regime in Syria is seen as a new phase for the region, with renewed focus on how Turkey will shape its energy security policies in the future.

Several experts have recently highlighted the importance of regional stability and energy geopolitics while emphasizing Turkey’s central role in reconstruction efforts in the region.

“The main problem in Syria in the field of energy is currently the (shortage) of electricity. A formula will be sought (for Turkey) to provide electricity to Syria,” Bayraktar added.

Turkey currently supplies electricity to parts of northern Syria where it has carried out four military operations since 2016, citing threats to national security. It has thousands of troops in the region to push PKK/YPG terrorists from its borders.

With Syria’s major oil and gas fields outside the control of the central government, Damascus previously depended on Iran for its fuel supplies.

Iran itself has faced an energy crisis amid cold weather and sanctions in recent times, prompting it to conserve resources and close schools and offices during the week. last, despite its vast reserves of natural gas and oil.

Reconstruction efforts

“Turkey could intervene and provide fuel to Syria. Given Ankara’s influence with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led anti-regime forces in their march towards Damascus, it will likely be involved in the reconstruction effort and will have political influence with the new leaders,” Kate Dourian, a non-resident researcher at the Arab Institute for the Gulf States in Washington, told Anadolu Agency (AA) last week. ).

Stating that hydrocarbon production accounted for about a quarter of Syria’s revenues before the civil war, Dourian pointed out that the region’s energy production suffered a major blow when Daesh, followed by the PKK/YPG terrorist organization, operated under the name of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), took control of key oil fields.

“There is an opportunity for Turkish energy companies to step in and restart oil and gas production, which would generate revenue to help with the reconstruction effort,” Dourian stressed.

“However, this will require an inclusive political settlement and a stable government capable of negotiating with foreign partners, which will take time,” she said.

Turkey should, in a broader sense, play a key role in rebuilding the Syrian economy, analysts said, while industry representatives highlighted opportunities for increased trade cooperation, particularly in areas such as agriculture, construction and energy.

Shares of major Turkish construction companies recovered strongly in the first days after the fall of Assad and some business associations have also expressed cautious optimism about possible trade relations in Syria if the situation stabilizes.

However, years of civil war under Assad have left Syria under sanctions and rebuilding Syria after the regime will also require international aid and a reassessment of those sanctions.

At the same time, the issue and discussions on reviving the “Qatar-Turkey gas pipeline”, abandoned in 2009, also resurfaced after the fall of Assad on December 8.

The Sabah Daily News Bulletin

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