Türkiye Offers Support for Oil, Gas Exploration in Syria

Türkiye is ready to cooperate with Syria in oil and gas exploration, including seismic surveys and exploration drilling both onshore and offshore, Reuters reported, citing Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Damascus with Syrian Energy Minister Mohamed al-Bashir, Bayraktar said Türkiye’s state-owned Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) and private-sector companies are prepared to support exploration activities in Syria.

Türkiye operates a deep-sea drilling fleet and is currently conducting exploration activities offshore Somalia, while TPAO has also secured a license to explore for oil in Libya’s offshore fields.

The two countries are also preparing to commission new electricity infrastructure in the coming weeks that will increase electricity transmission capacity to more than 800 megawatts, nearly tripling the current capacity, according to Bayraktar.

Meanwhile, Turkish state-owned mining company MTA IC and Syria’s General Directorate of Mineral Sources signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) covering cooperation in phosphate resources.

The agreement is intended to facilitate cooperation in phosphate rock production and establish long-term trade mechanisms, while also paving the way for integrated industrial investments in phosphoric acid, fertilizers, and other phosphate-based products.

Bayraktar said the MoU represents the first step toward a broader project involving the development of phosphate fields, construction of related industrial facilities, and the establishment of a railway connecting the production site to a seaport to transport phosphate output.

The two sides are expected to prepare a commercial agreement in the coming days, he added.

Türkiye and Syria have been gradually expanding energy cooperation since Syria’s reconstruction efforts accelerated. In May 2025, the two countries signed an energy cooperation agreement covering oil, gas, minerals and electricity, including plans to increase electricity supplies and develop Syria’s energy infrastructure.