Azerbaijan and Syria will negotiate on signing of a long-term agreement on supply of the Azerbaijani gas to Syria, Syrian Petroleum Company (SPC) General Manager Ali Abbas wrote Trend Capital in an e-mail. This decision was reached during the visit of Azerbaijani Industry and Energy Minister Natig Aliyev, senior representatives of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) and the leadership of the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy to Syria.
Abbas said the parties reached agreement on "open negotiations on signing of a long-term agreement on purchase and sale of natural gas in the volume of 1-1.5 billion cubic meters a year."
The sides also discussed prospects for transport of Azerbaijani gas to the Syrian gas network in the Arab countries, if agreement on this issue signed.
Syria mainly use gas in electricity production, respectively, 84 percent of gas supplied to the energy ministry, 8 percent - the industry ministry and 8 percent - the oil ministry, he added. It is assumed that Syria's gas demand will increase in coming years, due to growth in energy demand in connection with increase in investments.
The memorandum signed between the parties also includes the exchange of experience in oil and gas field, training of Syrian specialists in the Azerbaijani educational institutions, research related to various fields of energy, based on cooperation between universities and research centers of both countries and creation of joint ventures in oil and gas industry of Azerbaijan, Syria, or any other country, Abbas said.
Deliveries of Azerbaijani gas will begin after completion of the connecting pipeline between Syria and Turkey, which is scheduled for 2011-2012. These countries will realize the construction of 63-kilometer gas pipeline between Aleppo (Syria) and Kilis (Turkey), Syrian Deputy of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Hasan Zeinab told Trend Capital earlier./Trend/