State delegation visits Rojava oil fields

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A specialized team from the state-owned Syrian Petroleum Company (SPC) on Monday visited the last two oil fields in northeast Syria (Rojava) that remain under the control of Kurdish forces, state media reported . 

Safwan Sheikh Ahmed, Director of Corporate Communication at the Syrian Petroleum Company, told the state-run SANA that the tour to Rmeilan and Suweidiyah fields includes technical and engineering teams from the SPC and aims to assess the technical condition of the two fields in preparation for taking the necessary technical measures in the coming phase.

The move is part of the recent agreement between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian government to hand over oil fields, Qamishli airport, Semalka border crossing and some security sites to the central government. 

Later at a press conference, Waleed al-Yousef, executive deputy head of exploration and production at the company, said inspections showed that surface pumps and facilities were operating normally, with no destroyed materials or damaged equipment found. He said this prompted the company to thank staff on site for protecting the facilities and maintaining production.

Yousef added that employee living standards, including salaries, would not return to the levels seen under the former regime, adding that the company has concluded several agreements and memorandums of understanding with international companies.

The agreement followed weeks of deadly clashes between both sides and the takeover of most of the SDF-held oil fields in northeast Syria, including Deir ez-Zor fields. 

State-affiliated forces have been positioned in security zones in Qamishli and Hasaka cities and are expected to be deployed in the besieged city of Kobane as well. 

A security delegation from Damascus visited Qamishli airport on Sunday to discuss the future of the facility with Kurdish forces.


Viviyan Fatah contributed to this report from Hasaka.

Updated at 5:55 pm.