Syria
An oil pump jack in Hasaka province, northeastern Syria on October 26, 2019. Photo: Bilal Mustafa/Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syria’s oil ministry stated on Sunday that all oil agreements and contracts signed by the toppled regime of Bashar al-Assad, including those with Iran and Russia, will be reviewed to assess their legal validity. The ministry added that sanctions remain the most significant challenge to the country’s oil sector.
In response to a question by Rudaw’s Nalin Hassan about the fate of Syria’s oil deals with Russia, the head of the Syrian oil ministry’s public relations office, Ahmad Sulaiman, stated that “all agreements and contracts signed under the former regime will be referred to specialized committees for revision.” He added that if these deals are found to be legally valid, “there will be no issue” in maintaining them.
Regarding the oil and power contracts signed with Iran during the Assad era, Sulaiman stated that they “will also be handled in the same manner,” signally the possibility of upholding them.
Sulaiman’s comments are particularly notable given that Iran and Russia were the Assad regime’s top allies and backers.
The Syrian oil ministry spokesman also noted that prior to the eruption of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Damascus produced around 385,000 barrels of oil per day. However, he emphasized that there is “no accurate data” on Syria’s current daily oil production, as the Syrian government “lacks control over all oil fields” distributed throughout the country.
Suleiman said that oil production in fields controlled by Damascus currently stands at 10,000 barrels per day, which he described as “a very small percentage” of the country’s total output. He added that the government is preparing to rehabilitate existing oil wells that have suffered “serious damage,” and explore new sites.
The most significant challenge hindering the rehabilitation efforts, according to Sulaiman, are the sanctions imposed on Syria, which “deeply impact the oil sector.”
The new leadership in Damascus is currently engaged in talks with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) about the future of the region they control in northeast Syria commonly known as Rojava.
Hinting at the possibility of utilizing gas from eastern Syria “to fully activate” power and thermal energy units across the country, Sulaiman explained that negotiations are underway between Damascus and the Kurdish administration in Rojava to maximize the use of these resources. However, he added that at present, there is “no supply” of natural resources being provided by Rojava to Damascus.
The oil ministry spokesman further highlighted that while several countries - including Saudi Arabia and Qatar - have vowed to support Syria with fuel and oil derivatives, no such shipments have been received to date.
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