The memorandum of understanding on developing Syria's phosphate resources was signed in Damascus, the country's capital, between MTA IC, an affiliated entity of Türkiye's General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration, and Syria's General Directorate of Geology and Mineral Resources.
The agreement aims to expand energy and mining cooperation between Türkiye and Syria to include the development of phosphate resources.
Phosphate production and railway project targeted
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar said at a joint press conference held after the signing ceremony that energy and mining were among the key areas of cooperation between the two countries.
Bayraktar said work toward a commercial agreement would follow the framework agreement and announced that they aimed to implement a project covering phosphate production, the development of phosphate sites and construction of a railway extending from the sites to the port. He added that work would also be carried out to bring the iron ore mines around Aleppo into the economy.
Turkish companies to continue investments
Bayraktar said Turkish companies were continuing their investments in Syria. He said the companies were pursuing projects in various areas, from electricity generation and transmission to infrastructure, and that these activities were expected to continue expanding.
Bayraktar said Türkiye had increased electricity supplies as part of its support for Syria's reconstruction. He announced that electricity exports were targeted to nearly triple to 800–900 megawatts with the Birecik–Aleppo line, which is planned to become operational in the coming weeks. The line's launch is expected to increase the daily electricity supply period in Syria.
Bayraktar said talks would also be held on a commercial agreement for mining and that they wanted more Turkish companies to take part in infrastructure projects. He said Türkiye's experience could be used in the construction of pipelines, electricity transmission lines, storage facilities and tanks.
Oil, natural gas and geothermal energy
Bayraktar said there was also significant potential for cooperation between the two countries in oil and natural gas. He said Turkish Petroleum was ready to work on Syria's offshore fields as well as its onshore fields that are already producing, are expected to increase production or may hold new discoveries.
Bayraktar announced that they planned to conduct seismic surveys first, followed by drilling activities, and to establish partnerships with different companies. He said concrete cooperation initiatives would also be presented for onshore fields in the coming period.
Addressing Syria's geothermal energy potential, Bayraktar said Türkiye wanted to share its experience in installed geothermal capacity with Syria. He said these efforts would contribute to Syria's reconstruction and development, as well as stability in the region.
New areas of work in mining
Syria's Energy Minister Mohammed Bashir said they aimed to develop comprehensive cooperation with Türkiye in energy and mining. Bashir said a new transmission line supplying approximately 500 megawatts of electricity to Aleppo was planned to become operational by the end of September.
Bashir said the line would transmit approximately 500 megawatts of new electricity to Aleppo and surrounding areas, contributing to the stability of electricity supplies and improvements in public services, particularly electricity.
Bashir said the memorandum of understanding signed with Türkiye would form the foundation for mining cooperation. He added that work would also cover the establishment of sulfuric acid and phosphoric acid production facilities, rehabilitation of the phosphate transport fleet and phosphate imports.
