Turkey to supply natural gas from Azerbaijan to Syria

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ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey will begin supplying natural gas from Azerbaijan to Syria to help the country generate electricity, Turkey’s energy minister said Wednesday.

Natural gas from Azerbaijan will be delivered to Syria via the Kilis pipeline through Turkey from Aug. 2, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar told the state-run Anadolu Agency.

Once a strong backer of rebel forces seeking to overthrow former President Bashar al-Assad, Turkey is now firmly supporting Syria’s new government, helping to stabilize and rebuild the country.

Bayraktar said an initial supply of 6 million cubic meters of gas to Syria is expected to produce around 1,200 megawatts of electricity. Qatar is contributing to the project’s financing, the minister said.

“With the natural gas that will be supplied, the goal is to increase the current three to four hours of daily electricity availability to 10 hours, making a positive impact on people’s lives,” Bayraktar said.

A ceremony attended by ministers from Turkey, Syria, and Qatar will be held in Kilis on Aug. 2, he told Anadolu.