Iraq has sent a delegation to Syria to study if it could restore an oil pipeline that carried crude from Iraq via Syria to ports on the Mediterranean, the media office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said on Friday.
The Iraqi delegation is headed by the President of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service, Hamid Al-Shatri. The delegation arrived in Damascus on Friday and is scheduled to meet with the President of the Syrian Arab Republic, Ahmed al-Sharaa’, along with several senior Syrian government officials.
“The talks will also address expanding trade exchange in ways that benefit the interests of both brotherly peoples, and exploring the possibility of rehabilitating the Iraqi oil pipeline that runs through Syrian territory to the ports of the Mediterranean Sea,” the Iraqi PM’s office said.
The Iraqi delegation will also discuss with the Syrian officials matters related to counterterrorism cooperation and the strengthening of joint arrangements to secure the shared border against potential breaches or threats.
“The meetings in Damascus will reaffirm Iraq’s support for Syria’s unity and sovereignty, and underscore that Syria’s stability is essential to Iraq’s national security and to the security of the broader region,” the media office of the Iraqi PM said.
Following the insurgence that toppled the Assad government from power in Syria at the end of 2024, the country has seen spiking energy prices and a deeper energy crisis as deliveries of crude oil from Iraq and Iran were halted.
Earlier this year, the EU suspended a handful of sanctions against Syria, including those related to energy, banking, and reconstruction, and the oil is now flowing again from Kurdish-controlled regions in the northeast. In February, Kurdish-led authorities started shipping oil from fields they control in the northeast to the new central government in Damascus, marking a fairly significant move towards reconciliation, and potentially, stability post-Assad.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
More Top Reads From Oilprice.com
- Russian Insurers Seek Approval for Oil Tanker Coverage in India
- Russia and Iran Deepen Energy Cooperation
- Canadian Drivers’ Interest in EVs Continues to Decline
