Syrian Petroleum Company: Syria intends to buy Azerbaijani gas

Azerbaijan, Baku, March 4 / Trend U.Sadykhova /

Azerbaijan and Syria will negotiate a long-term agreement on the supply of Azerbaijani gas to Syria, Syrian Petroleum Company (SPC) General Manager Ali Abbas told Trend via e-mail.

This decision was reached during the visit of Azerbaijani Industry and Energy Minister Natig Aliyev, senior representatives of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) and the leadership of the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy to Syria.

Abbas said the parties reached an agreement on "signing of a long-term agreement on the purchase and sale of natural gas in the volume of 1-1.5 billion cubic meters a year."

The sides also discussed prospects for transport of Azerbaijani gas to the Syrian gas network in the Arab countries.

Syria mainly uses gas for electricity production; 84 percent of the gas is supplied to the Energy Ministry, eight percent to the Industry Ministry and 8 percent to the Oil Ministry, he added. It is assumed that Syria's gas demand will increase in coming years due to growth in energy demand.

The memorandum signed between the parties also includes the exchange of experience in the oil and gas fields, training of Syrian specialists in the Azerbaijani educational institutions and research related to various fields of energy, Abbas said.

Deliveries of Azerbaijani gas will begin after the completion of the connecting pipeline between Syria and Turkey, which is scheduled for 2011-2012. These countries will realize the construction of a 63-kilometer gas pipeline between Aleppo, Syria, and Kilis, Turkey, Syrian Petroleum and Mineral Resources Deputy Minister Hasan Zeinab told Trend earlier.