The presidents of Syria and Azerbaijan discussed how Baku could play a role in restoring Syria’s oil and gas sector in their first-ever meeting in Turkey last weekend, reports the Middle East Eye citing sources familiar with the issue.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, where they held talks on how to move forward after the fall of al-Assad in Syria.
The Syrian government is reportedly interested in getting Azerbaijan’s state oil company, Socar, to help develop oil and gas fields in northeastern Syria, an area largely controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) armed group.
Earlier this month, Azerbaijan hosted deconfliction meetings between Turkish and Israeli officials, after Israel’s military struck three military bases in Syria.
“Syria wants to counterbalance every regional player. Having both Turkey and Azerbaijan involved in operating the oil and gas fields would provide a sense of assurance regarding Israel,” said a second source familiar with the Syrian government’s thinking.
In January, Elchin Ibadov, CEO of Socar’s Turkish arm Socar Türkiye, expressed the company’s readiness to participate in Syria’s energy sector.
“If Socar Türkiye is assigned a role aligned with the shared strategic interests of our countries – Azerbaijan and Türkiye – and there is demand for this energy, it is our duty to fulfil it,” he said.
