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SOCAR: Azerbaijan exports 1.2 billion bcm gas per year to Syria via Turkey

Azerbaijan plans to export 1.2 billion cubic meters of gas per year from the BP operated Shah Deniz field in the Azeri-Caspian Sea. This was revealed by a senior official with the Azeri energy company SOCAR on Saturday.

Elshad Nasirov, SOCAR vice president, was speaking near the Syrian border in southern Turkey as Turkey and Azerbaijan began natural gas exports into Syria. Azerbaijani, Turkish, Syrian and Qatari ministers and officials attended a ceremony to mark the launch in Kilis.

Azerbaijani Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov stated that the project was a result of agreements made in April and July by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev with Syria's interim president Ahmad Al-Sharaa.

Jabbarov stated that gas would be transported to Syria through Turkish territory under a coordinated agreement.

He said that by launching the gas exports to Syria Azerbaijan had demonstrated its ability to export gas to not only the West but also the East and South.

Alparslan Bayraktar, the Turkish Energy Minister, said that deliveries would reach 6 million bcm a day. The first phase could see up to 2 billion Bcm a year.

Bayraktar stated that the gas would be used for restarting power plants in Syria, with a total capacity of 1,200 Megawatts.

The Turkish government, which has been a key ally of the new Syrian Government since the end of the civil war in Syria in December, when Bashar al Assad was ousted, is now positioned to become a major player for the reconstruction of Syria.

Mohammad Al-Bashir, the Syrian Energy Minister, said that gas supplies will support basic energy requirements in areas affected by conflicts. (Reporting and writing by Nailia bagirova, Alexander Marrow; editing by Louise Heavens & Susan Fenton).

(source: Reuters)