Azerbaijan’s state oil company signs gas supply MoU with Syria

Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Syrian government for natural gas supply to Syria, according to the Azerbaijani state news agency AZERTAC, Anadolu reports.

The MoU was signed by Azerbaijan’s Economy Minister and SOCAR’s Supervisory Board Chairman Mikayil Jabbarov, and Syrian Energy Minister Mohammed al-Bashir.

“Today, I accompanied (Syrian) President Ahmad Al-Shara in an official visit to Azerbaijan where we discussed ways to enhance cooperation in the field of natural gas to secure the future of energy in Syria,” Bashir said in a statement on X.

“An agreement was signed with SOCAR regarding the supply of natural gas to Syria, a step towards energy independence and building strategic partnerships that serve the nation and its citizens,” he added.

Earlier this month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan quoted his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev as saying that Azerbaijan is “ready to provide all kinds of support on natural gas to Syria.”

Earlier on Saturday, al-Sharaa arrived in Azerbaijan for his first official visit to the country since taking office earlier this year, according to Syria’s official news agency Sana.

While neither agency disclosed the duration or full agenda of the visit, it marks another stop in al-Sharaa’s diplomatic tour that began following his appointment on Jan. 29.

Since assuming office, he has visited Türkiye, France, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait.

A transitional administration led by al-Sharaa was formed in Syria in January following the fall of the regime of Bashar Assad.

Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in December, ending the Baath Party’s decades-long grip on power that began in 1963.