Syria counts on Azerbaijan's assistance in developing oil, gas fields

The new Syrian government is interested in the participation of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) in the restoration of the country's oil and gas sector, according to the Middle East Eye publication, citing informed sources, Report informs.

"The Syrian government is 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," reads the article.

“Syria wants to counterbalance every regional player. Having both Türkiye 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 March, SDF leader Mazloum Abdi and Sharaa signed a unification deal that effectively granted the Damascus government control over the energy fields. However, Sharaa's government has yet to physically take over the sites.

A regional official familiar with the SDF-Damascus agreement said Damascus plans to divide the income generated from the fields, with 70 percent allocated to the central government and 30 percent reserved for local needs.

According to the Syrian news outlet Enab Baladi, Syria currently produces 110,000 barrels of oil per day, a sharp decline from the 385,000 barrels per day produced in 2010 before the civil war broke out.

Of this, 100,000 barrels come from fields under SDF control, while 10,000 barrels are produced by the new Syrian administration. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimated in 2015 that Syria possessed 2.5 billion barrels of proved oil reserves.

For natural gas, Enab Baladi reports that the country produces 9.1 million cubic meters per day, down from 30 million cubic meters per day in 2010.

Sanctions had previously forced 11 international companies - responsible for 49.6 percent of Syria’s total crude oil production in 2010 - to abandon operations in the country.