Syria and Turkey have reached a deal to supply Syria with six million cubic meters of natural gas per day, Syrian Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bachir announced Friday.
The gas will be delivered via the Kilis-Aleppo pipeline in northern Syria, according to a statement carried by state news agency SANA.
The agreement with Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar aims to alleviate Syria’s severe electricity shortages, where blackouts can last over 20 hours daily due to infrastructure destroyed by 14 years of civil war.
“This will increase electricity supply and ease the energy crisis,” said al-Bachir. The gas will power the Aleppo natural gas power plant and deliveries are expected to begin within three months.
This follows a March pledge by Qatar to finance gas deliveries from Jordan to Syria, also targeting the country’s struggling energy sector.
Both Turkey and Qatar, key allies of Syria’s new Islamist-led transitional government following the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December, were among the first to restore diplomatic missions in Damascus and are urging the lifting of international sanctions.