Iraq-Syria Talks Focussed on Cooperation in Oil, Gas & Energy

Iraq's Minister of Oil Hayan Abdul Ghani has held talks in Baghdad with Syrian Minister of Energy Mohammad Bashir, focusing on cooperation in oil, gas, and energy. Discussions covered Iraq's plans to diversify crude oil export routes amid rising production, including rehabilitating or replacing the Iraq-Syria export pipeline, which was active in past decades. Options under review include exports via Syria's Baniyas port and Lebanon's Tripoli, alongside ongoing efforts to resume flows through Turkey's Ceyhan terminal.

The Iraqi side also presented progress in gas utilisation, refining capacity, and the Basra-Haditha pipeline project, which will boost exports and supply domestic refineries. Both parties agreed to form a joint technical committee, with possible international consultancy, to assess the Iraqi-Syrian pipeline's condition and feasibility of reactivation.

In a separate meeting, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani met Bashir to discuss broader bilateral cooperation, including petrochemical projects on the Mediterranean coast, climate change coordination, and joint water management in the Euphrates basin. The Prime Minister reaffirmed Iraq's support for Syria's stability and sovereignty, and opposition to aggression against its territory.

Talks were also attended by Iraqi oil ministry officials, the head of the National Investment Commission (NIC), and the Minister of Water Resources, who stressed the need to honour existing agreements on Euphrates water flows.