Türkiye is ready to work with Damascus to look for oil and gas in Syria, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Wednesday during a visit to the neighboring country, as the duo also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on phosphate.
Turkish state oil company Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO), as well as private companies, are ready for seismic surveys and exploration drilling, both offshore and onshore in Syria, Bayraktar said at a joint press conference in Damascus with Syrian Energy Minister Mohamed al-Bashir.
On oil and natural gas cooperation, Bayraktar said there is significant potential, including in Syria's offshore and onshore fields, existing producing fields and areas with potential for new discoveries.
"Our companies, particularly TPAO, are ready for this," he said.
On geothermal energy, the minister said that Türkiye, which has the world's fourth-largest installed geothermal capacity, was ready to share its expertise with Syria.
"I believe this will make a very important contribution to Syria's reconstruction and development and to maintaining stability in the region," he said.
Türkiye operates a deep-sea drilling fleet and is drilling an exploration well off the coast of Somalia. The state oil company also won a license to look for oil in Libyan offshore fields.
At the same time, Turkish state-owned mining company MTA IC and Syria's general directorate for mineral sources also signed a nonbinding agreement on phosphate resources during the visit, paving the way for an eventual joint venture, according to the ministry.
Phosphate memorandum
The phosphate agreement is part of a broader effort by both countries to build economic and energy ties as Syria rebuilds its infrastructure.
Ankara and Damascus are also working on electricity transmission, oil and natural gas projects, and renewables. Through this initiative, Syria could gain investment, infrastructure and technical expertise needed for reconstruction.
At a press conference, Bayraktar said the agreement would expand bilateral energy and mining cooperation to phosphate resources.
Bayraktar said the two sides aim to move toward a commercial agreement and develop a project covering phosphate production, phosphate field development and construction of a railway linking the fields to a port.
Turkish companies to continue investments in Syria
Turkish companies will also continue to invest in Syria's electricity generation and transmission infrastructure, supporting the country's reconstruction efforts, Bayraktar said.
The Birecik-Aleppo line, with a capacity of around 500 megawatts, is expected to enable Türkiye to nearly triple its electricity exports to Syria to around 900 megawatts (MW), according to Anadolu Agency (AA).
Bayraktar said the line is expected to be commissioned "in the coming weeks."
Both countries have been physically interconnected through the Birecik-Aleppo link for years, but its operation has been hampered by differences in grid configurations and damage to Syrian infrastructure.
Bayraktar also called for more Turkish companies to participate in Syrian infrastructure projects, citing their expertise in pipelines, electricity transmission lines, storage facilities and tanks.
Syria seeks broader mining cooperation
Al-Bashir, for his part, said the two countries aim to develop cooperation in energy and mining.
Al-Bashir said a new transmission line is planned to be commissioned by the end of September and will provide around 500 megawatts of additional electricity to Aleppo and surrounding areas, contributing to more stable energy supplies and improved public services.
He said the phosphate MoU would form the basis for further mining cooperation, including establishing sulfuric and phosphoric acid production facilities, rehabilitating the phosphate transport fleet and importing phosphate.