Turkish Energy Minister meets with Sharaa in Damascus, announces Ankara intends to export two billion cubic meters of gas to Syria.

Al-Sharaa received Bayraktar and his accompanying delegation at the People's Palace in Damascus on Thursday. Following the meeting, Bayraktar and his accompanying delegation toured Mount Qasioun overlooking Damascus.

Earlier on Thursday, Bayraktar arrived in the Syrian capital, Damascus, for official talks with officials there. He met with his Syrian counterpart, Mohammed al-Bashir, and they signed a cooperation agreement between the two countries in the fields of energy, mining, and fuels.

During a press conference held by Bayraktar and Bashir, the Turkish Energy Minister said that his country would soon begin exporting two billion cubic meters of gas to Syria, without providing a specific date. Bayraktar also expressed Turkey's desire to triple electricity exports to Syria, reaching 1,000 megawatts in the coming months.

Bayraktar noted that Türkiye, along with the new Syrian government, has been making strenuous efforts since last December to revive and rebuild Syria, and emphasized the existence of short-, medium-, and long-term projects in Syria in this regard.

The Turkish minister expressed Ankara's desire to triple electricity exports to Syria, reaching 1,000 megawatts in the coming months, with the goal of meeting Syria's short-term needs. He also noted the intensification of efforts to secure the natural gas needed to power Syria's power plants.

Bayraktar said his country would soon begin exporting approximately two billion cubic meters of gas to Syria annually, with the pipeline reaching as far as Aleppo and Homs provinces. He did not provide a specific date. He explained that this step would contribute 1,200-1,300 megawatts to the country's electricity generation capacity.

According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the Syrian Minister of Energy, during the conference, expected the electrical connection between Syria and Turkey to be operational by the end of the year, revealing that work was underway to complete the connection of the 400 kilovolt line that will connect Türkiye to Syria.

On December 8, 2024, Syrian factions took control of Damascus and other cities, ending 61 years of the bloody Baath Party regime and 53 years of Assad family rule.