Iran 's oil minister said that Tehran will start its export of natural gas to Syria by the end of 2011.
The Mehr News Agency quoted Masoud Mir Kazemi as saying in a meeting with his Syrian counterpart that the Islamic Republic has a short term and long term plan for exporting gas to Syria and other West Asian countries.
He said that the short-term plan is to transfer gas to Syria through Turkey, and the long-term plan is transfer gas from Assaluyeh to Iraq, and through Iraq to Syria and other nations.
Tehran, Damascus ink 5 cooperation pacts
Meanwhile, during the Syrian delegation's visit to Tehran on Thursday Iran and Syria signed five cooperation pacts in various fields.
One pact was for cooperation between provincial officials of Syria and Iran in 2011 and 2012. An MOU was signed for the promotion of trade relations, and a pact was inked for cooperation in activities related to youths. Housing and urbanization was another field of cooperation agreed upon by the ministers of the two countries.
The Syrian delegation to Iran was headed by Prime Minister Muhammed Naji Otri who signed an MOU with Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi for the 13th Assembly of the Joint High Commission of the two nations.