Turkey begins gas supplies from Azerbaijan to Syria - Turkish energy minister

ISTANBUL. Aug 4 (Interfax) - Gas from Azerbaijan has started flowing to Syria through Turkish territory, Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Saturday.

"Speaking at the launch ceremony of the Turkey-Syria gas pipeline, Bayraktar said that gas from Azerbaijan will be delivered to Syria via Kilis, a Turkish city on the border with Syria," the newspaper Hurriyet reported.

Repairs to the pipeline from Kilis to Aleppo in Syria were completed on May 21, the newspaper said.

Syria can now import up to 2 billion cubic meters of gas per year, enough to generate electricity for 5 million households, Bayraktar said.

Earlier this week, Muhammad Fadila, the CEO of the Syrian Public Establishment for Transmission and Distribution of Electricity, said that Syrian power plants are technically ready to receive Azerbaijani gas.

On July 30, the Turkish and Syrian energy ministries said that Azerbaijani gas would begin flowing on August 2 through the cross-border Kilis-Aleppo pipeline as part of a trilateral agreement.

The Syrian government and the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic (SOCAR) signed a memorandum of understanding in Baku on July 14, covering cooperation and coordination in the energy sector, the supply of natural gas through Turkey and collaboration in oil exploration.