Associate Professor of the Haji Bayram University, Doctor of Sciences Ismail Sari, wrote an article on cooperation between Turkey and Syria in the field of energy and the strategic role of Turkey in this process.
***
after more than thirteen years of the Civil War, Syria entered the new period with the fall of the Assad regime. In December 2024. In connection with the political transition process, the country faces a multi -layer agenda of the day, including not only political reorganization, but also economic restoration, social integration and restoration of infrastructure. One of the most important aspects of this process is the energy sector. Indeed, during the war, the production capacities of Syria in the energy sector were reduced by 70 %, and infrastructure in the field of energy, water supply and food support underwent significant destruction. Among the main causes of the energy crisis, large-scale destruction of infrastructure is distinguished as a result of conflict, sabotage, difficulties with fuel supply, lack of technical specialists, the negative impact of international sanctions, corruption in state institutions, the plunder of energy facilities and the loss of central control over oil and gas fields in the northeast of the country. In the conditions of this multifaceted crisis, the state energy system is in a state of collapse. Even in the central areas, such as Damascus and Khumus, daily power outages reach 16-20 hours, and in rural areas – more than 22 hours.
Syrians in this process were forced to turn to small individual solutions to satisfy their needs for energy. Today, wherever you go in Syria, you can see a generator in front of each house. People are trying to produce their electricity in an almost mobile way.
at this stage, a new Syrian government, starting the process of recovery after a civil war, signed a number of strategic agreements with Turkey, Qatar and other regional players in order to restore and strengthen energy infrastructure. In this context, the role of Turkey in the mitigation of the energy crisis in Syria is of strategic importance not only from the point of view of humanitarian assistance, but also from the point of view of regional geopolitical and economic integration.
-energy cooperation between Turkey and Syria: structural steps