Ankara – Turkey will begin supplying natural gas from Azerbaijan to Syria starting August 2, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Wednesday, in a move aimed at alleviating the country’s worsening energy crisis.
The gas will be transported via Turkey’s Kilis province into northern Syria’s Aleppo, Bayraktar told the state-run Anadolu Agency. He said the arrangement would eventually allow the delivery of around 900 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 1.6 million Syrian households, but did not specify the volume of gas to be exported.
The announcement follows a July 12 memorandum of understanding signed between Syria and Azerbaijan during a visit by Syrian transitional president Ahmed Al-Sharaa to Baku.
Read also: Al-Sharaa in Azerbaijan: Meeting Aliyev, Discussing Energy Ties
Syrian Energy Minister Mohammad Al-Bashir earlier described the deal as a step toward “energy independence and strategic partnerships” as the country struggles to rebuild after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December, ending 14 years of conflict.
Syria’s war has decimated energy infrastructure, leaving large swaths of the country with electricity cuts exceeding 20 hours a day. Most oil fields remain outside government control, deepening shortages.
Bayraktar previously said on May 22 that Turkey plans to export 2 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually to Syria, enough to boost power generation by 1,200–1,300 megawatts. At a May 2 energy summit in Istanbul, he said the pipeline connection would be operational “within weeks.”
The gas supply project highlights Turkey and Azerbaijan’s growing roles as regional energy players and underscores Ankara’s strong support for Syria’s new transitional administration.
