Azerbaijan to export 1.2 billion cubic metres of gas to Syria through Turkey annually
Turkey supported rebel forces in neighbouring Syria throughout the 13-year civil war that ended with the ousting of Bashar al-Assad in December and has become one of the new Syrian government's main foreign allies.
Ankara is now positioning itself to be a major player in Syria's reconstruction.
SOCAR Vice President Elshad Nasirov was speaking at a ceremony in the southern Turkish city of Kilis, close to the Syrian border, as Turkey and Azerbaijan launched natural gas exports to Syria.
Azerbaijan's Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov said the project followed agreements in April and July between Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and Syria's new President Ahmad al-Sharaa.
Gas will be transported through Turkish territory to Syria under a coordinated arrangement, Jabbarov said.
"By launching gas exports to Syria, Azerbaijan has demonstrated that it is capable of exporting gas not only to the West, but also to the East and the South," he said at the event.
Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said deliveries were expected to reach around 6 million cubic metres (mcm) per day. While the current delivery plan foresees exports of 1.2 bcm annually, Bayraktar said there was potential to supply up to 2 bcm per year in the first phase.
The gas will be used to restart power plants in Syria with a combined capacity of 1,200 megawatts, Bayraktar said.
Syrian Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bashir said the gas supplies would support basic energy needs in areas affected by conflict. He said the gas would allow for an additional four hours of electricity per day in those areas by increasing generation by around 750 MW.
Al-Bashir also said that while the agreement foresees daily deliveries of 6 mcm, the initial volume would be around 3.4 mcm per day.
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A day at asylum court shows why decisions are so painfully slow
A Kurdish man fidgets nervously with his hands, sitting behind a desk in court number four at Taylor House immigration tribunal. To his left is an interpreter, to his right a specialist immigration barrister appointed to represent him by a firm in London. Over the space of an hour and a half, a lawyer from the Home Office — which initially refused his asylum claim and is arguing that he should not be allowed to stay in the UK — fires questions at the man. He arrived in the UK by boat in 2022 and has already answered many of these questions on previous occasions. • Yvette Cooper: We're fixing asylum the British way They mainly relate to his journey to the UK from Turkey and his claim of political persecution in his homeland, where he says he was beaten by the police after attending pro-Kurdish demonstrations. Questions over, he moves to the back of the court, sitting with his head in his hands while the two lawyers sum up their arguments. September will mark three years since he arrived here. The Kurdish man's case is just one of more than 50,000 asylum appeals waiting to be resolved through the courts. This is the hidden asylum backlog. While the government has been focused on cutting down the 79,000 people waiting for an initial decision on an asylum claim, these extra 50,000 cases involve people challenging the Home Office's decision to refuse their application. Two years ago, the number of appeals was just under 7,500. Last weekend, the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, wrote in The Sunday Times: 'The backlog of initial asylum decisions is now down, but too many cases are being dragged out by long appeal delays or endless repeat applications. That can't go on.' It takes an average of 54 weeks from the moment an appeal is made to receiving a decision. More complicated cases can take far longer. 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Reuters
13 hours ago
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Azerbaijan to export 1.2 billion cubic metres of gas to Syria through Turkey annually
KILIS, Turkey, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Azerbaijan will export 1.2 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas annually through Turkey to Syria from the BP-operated (BP.L), opens new tab Shah Deniz gas field in the Azeri Caspian Sea, a senior official at Azeri state energy company SOCAR told Reuters on Saturday. Turkey supported rebel forces in neighbouring Syria throughout the 13-year civil war that ended with the ousting of Bashar al-Assad in December and has become one of the new Syrian government's main foreign allies. Ankara is now positioning itself to be a major player in Syria's reconstruction. SOCAR Vice President Elshad Nasirov was speaking at a ceremony in the southern Turkish city of Kilis, close to the Syrian border, as Turkey and Azerbaijan launched natural gas exports to Syria. Azerbaijan's Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov said the project followed agreements in April and July between Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and Syria's new President Ahmad al-Sharaa. Gas will be transported through Turkish territory to Syria under a coordinated arrangement, Jabbarov said. "By launching gas exports to Syria, Azerbaijan has demonstrated that it is capable of exporting gas not only to the West, but also to the East and the South," he said at the event. Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said deliveries were expected to reach around 6 million cubic metres (mcm) per day. While the current delivery plan foresees exports of 1.2 bcm annually, Bayraktar said there was potential to supply up to 2 bcm per year in the first phase. The gas will be used to restart power plants in Syria with a combined capacity of 1,200 megawatts, Bayraktar said. Syrian Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bashir said the gas supplies would support basic energy needs in areas affected by conflict. He said the gas would allow for an additional four hours of electricity per day in those areas by increasing generation by around 750 MW. Al-Bashir also said that while the agreement foresees daily deliveries of 6 mcm, the initial volume would be around 3.4 mcm per day.
Reuters
14 hours ago
- Reuters
Azerbaijan to export 1.2 billion cubic metres of gas to Syria through Turkey annually, says SOCAR
KILIS, Turkey, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Azerbaijan will export 1.2 billion cubic metres of gas annually to Syria from the BP-operated (BP.L), opens new tab Shah Deniz gas field in the Azeri Caspian Sea, a senior official at Azeri state energy company SOCAR told Reuters on Saturday. SOCAR Vice President Elshad Nasirov was speaking in southern Turkey, close to the Syrian border, as Turkey and Azerbaijan launched natural gas exports to Syria. The launch was marked at a ceremony in the city of Kilis, attended by ministers and other officials from Azerbaijan, Turkey, Syria and Qatar. Azerbaijan's Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov said the project followed agreements in April and July between Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and Syria's transitional president Ahmad Al-Sharaa. Gas would be transported through Turkish territory to Syria under a coordinated arrangement, Jabbarov said. 'By launching gas exports to Syria, Azerbaijan has demonstrated that it is capable of exporting gas not only to the West, but also to the East and the South,' he said at the event. Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said deliveries were expected to reach around 6 million cubic metres per day, with potential to supply up to 2 bcm annually in the first phase. The gas would be used to restart power plants in Syria with a combined capacity of 1,200 megawatts, Bayraktar said. Turkey, which supported rebel forces in Syria throughout the 13-year civil war that ended in December with the ousting of Bashar al-Assad, has become one of the new Syrian government's main foreign allies while positioning itself to be a major player in Syria's reconstruction. Syrian Energy Minister Mohammad Al-Bashir said the gas supplies would support basic energy needs in areas affected by conflict.
