Turkey Seeks Oil and Gas Exploration Deal with Syria

Turkey is ready to cooperate with Syria on exploring energy resources, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Wednesday at a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart, Mohamed al-Bashir.

According to Bayraktar, both the Turkish state-owned oil company TPAO and private firms are prepared to conduct seismic surveys and exploratory drilling on land and in Syria's coastal waters.

Turkey operates a fleet of deep-sea drilling vessels and is currently conducting an exploratory drilling operation off the coast of Somalia. TPAO has also obtained a license to search for oil in Libya's coastal areas.

Ankara and Damascus are set to commission new infrastructure in the coming weeks that will triple electricity transmission capacity to more than 800 megawatts.

During the visit, the Turkish state-owned mining company MTA IC also signed a non-binding agreement with the Syrian general directorate for mineral resources regarding phosphate reserves, intended to lay the groundwork for a potential joint venture.

(Reuters, bak)