Mikayil Jabbarov said that the transportation of Azerbaijani natural gas through Turkey to Syria is an important milestone in the history of our country's energy exports and lays the foundation for a new energy bridge between the South Caucasus and the Middle East. According to the minister, the number of countries to which Azerbaijani gas is exported has reached 14, SOCAR's plans are much broader, and SOCAR is currently acquiring shares in foreign gas production projects and plans to supply the company's gas to new consumer countries.
On August 2, 2025, an event dedicated to the start of the transportation of Azerbaijani gas through Turkey to Syria was held in the Turkish city of Kilis.
As Trend reports, representatives of the governments of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Syria, Qatar, and other officials took part in the event.
Minister of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of SOCAR Mikayil Jabbarov stated that in accordance with the agreements reached during the meetings of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev with the President of the Syrian Arab Republic for the transitional period Ahmed al-Sharaa in Antalya on April 11, 2025, and then in Baku on July 12 of this year, the export of Azerbaijani gas to Syria via Turkey began in a short time.
Noting that this will contribute to Syria's energy security, the Minister said that the strategic cooperation between the two fraternal countries - Azerbaijan and Turkey, covering all areas, including the energy sector, made it possible to implement this historically important project in a very short time. Thus, the two fraternal countries are carrying out joint activities to support the restoration and development of Syria, taking important steps.
Mikayil Jabbarov said that the transportation of Azerbaijani natural gas through Turkey to Syria is an important milestone in the history of our country's energy exports and lays the foundation for a new energy bridge between the South Caucasus and the Middle East. According to the minister, the number of countries to which Azerbaijani gas is exported has reached 14, SOCAR's plans are much broader, and SOCAR is currently acquiring shares in foreign gas production projects and plans to supply the company's gas to new consumer countries.
Speaking about the strategic energy projects implemented by Azerbaijan, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of SOCAR noted that these initiatives play an invaluable role in ensuring regional and global energy security of our country. The opening of the Turkish-Syrian pipeline and the start of gas transportation from Azerbaijan to Syria once again demonstrates that our country is a reliable and strategic energy supplier. This project will make an important contribution to expanding the geography of our country's gas exports to new destinations.
Syrian Energy Minister Mohammed al-Bashir expressed gratitude to Azerbaijan and Turkey for their support in improving the welfare and reconstruction of Syria, which suffered from the years of war. Noting that a swap agreement was signed with SOCAR, which envisages the transportation of Azerbaijani gas to the Turkish-Syrian border, Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar noted that Azerbaijan, which always supports Turkey in both sadness and joy, made every effort in this project. Speaking about the fact that Azerbaijan's natural gas will be exported to Syria via Kilis, the minister noted that 6 million cubic meters of natural gas will be transported daily from the Yavuzlu measuring station.
Alparslan Bayraktar noted that as a result of gas exports to Syria, power plants will also start operating in the near future. At the initial stage, it will be possible to export up to 2 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year to Syria, and about 1,200 megawatts of installed capacity will be activated. This project will make a very serious contribution to the normalization of life in Syria, improve the standard of living of people and speed up the process of returning to the country.
During the visit of the Azerbaijani delegation, bilateral meetings were also organized with the delegations of Turkey and Syria. During the meetings, the possibilities of expanding cooperation in the energy sector were discussed and an exchange of views on issues of mutual interest took place.
The opening ceremony of the Turkish-Syrian gas pipeline, which supplies Azerbaijani gas to Syria through Turkey, was held in the village of Yavuzlu in the Turkish province of Kilis.
As reported by a Trend correspondent sent to Turkey, the opening ceremony was attended by Azerbaijani Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov, head of the Qatar Fund for Development Fahad Hamad Al-Sulaiti, and Syrian Minister of Energy Mohammed al-Bashir.
Following the ministers' speeches, officials will be invited to the stage for a symbolic launch of the project - the opening of a valve installed on the stage. This step will mark the start of the export of Azerbaijani natural gas to Syria.
It should be noted that preparations for the transportation of natural gas under the recently signed document between the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and Syria have been completed. At the first stage, it is planned to export 1.2-2.0 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year to Syria. The gas will be transported through the city of Kilis on the border with Turkey to power plants in Aleppo and Homs and used to generate electricity. This is expected to increase the total production capacity by 1,200-1,300 megawatts.
Overall, the commissioning of the new power line is considered an important step in the reconstruction of Syria. Thus, the delivery of natural gas from Azerbaijan to Syria via the Kilis line via Turkey is aimed at restoring Syria's damaged electrical infrastructure and strengthening Turkey's goal as a regional energy hub.
Let us recall that on July 12 of this year, during the working visit to Azerbaijan of the President of the Syrian Arab Republic for the transitional period, Ahmed al-Sharaa, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between SOCAR and the government of the Syrian Arab Republic.
The memorandum was signed by the Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of SOCAR Mikayil Jabbarov and the Minister of Energy of Syria Mohammed al-Bashir.