KILIS, TÜRKIYE, August 2. We hope for more projects with friendly countries, Syrian Energy Minister Mohammed Al-Bashir said at the opening ceremony of the Turkish-Syrian natural gas pipeline today, Trend's correspondent reports.
"I express my deep gratitude to the brotherly state of Qatar, the friendly Türkiye and Azerbaijan for their noble attitude, honest support and continuous assistance. This support will help Syria return to its rightful position - as a leading and prosperous state among countries," he explained.
He also mentioned the economic situation in Syria.
"The Syrian people have lived through many years of hard, painful, and painful years. These were years when even the simplest necessities of life were not available, and basic services, especially energy services, completely disappeared. The Syrian people lived in darkness and gloom for many years, factories stopped, vital facilities were out of order, economic activity was paralyzed, and infrastructure was deliberately destroyed.
This was an indescribably difficult period that our people lived through with patience and dignity. But as the darkness of the former regime lifted and the dawn of freedom dawned, our people rose from the ruins and began to look with hope for a new beginning and began to live with the desire to regain the dignified life they deserve.
From the first day, we were determined to restore what the regime had destroyed, and we tirelessly worked day and night to rebuild energy production and transmission stations, especially the transmission of electricity, oil, and gas.
Today, with pride and honor, we celebrate the opening of the regional gas pipeline connecting Syria with Türkiye.
This line will allow us to import 6 million cubic meters of gas daily. This is happening within the framework of cooperation and coordination with friendly and brotherly regional countries. At the first stage, we will import 3.4 million cubic meters of gas daily, this gas will come from Türkiye via Azerbaijan, and this will be done within the framework of the generous assistance provided by Qatar. This volume of gas will allow us to increase energy production by about 750 megawatts. This will lead to the improvement of electricity supply and the provision of an additional four hours of electricity daily.
This, in turn, will accelerate development, revitalize industry and the economy, and help internally displaced persons return to their homes.
We'll continue to work for additional gas purchases in the coming days. Our goal is to increase production capacity and further improve the quality of services provided. This will be implemented by the Ministry of Energy.
The friendly countries will stand shoulder to shoulder with Syria, especially in projects such as the regional electricity interconnection line planned in the coming period. The 400 kilovolt line project will be implemented in the near future. Also, a new line for the delivery of electricity from Reyhanli to the northern Idlib - Harim region is under implementation. We are trying to implement these steps as soon as possible," the minister emphasized.
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