Syria and Turkey Sign Trilateral Memorandum on Geology and Mining

A trilateral memorandum of understanding was signed at Tishreen Palace in Damascus between the Syrian Mining Company, Turkey's General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration (MTA), and Turkey's International Mining Company. The signing was sponsored by the Syrian Ministry of Energy and the Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources.

Signing Parties

The ceremony was attended by Syrian Minister of Energy Mohammed al-Bashir and Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar. The memorandum was signed by Siraj al-Hariri, CEO of the Syrian Mining Company, Fetvat Yanik, Director General of MTA, and Dr. Nail Yildirim, CEO of the International Mining Company.

Official Attendees

Also present at the signing were:

• Deputy Energy Minister for Oil Affairs Ghiath Diab
• Deputy Minister for Water and Electricity Affairs, engineer Osama Abu Zeid
• Deputy Minister for Planning and Institutional Excellence, engineer Ibrahim al-Adhan
• CEO of the Syrian Petroleum Company, engineer Yousef Qablawi
• CEO of the Syrian Electricity Company, engineer Omar Shaqrouq
• Turkish Ambassador to Syria Nuh Yilmaz

Term and Objectives

The memorandum runs for a term of five years, aiming to launch joint work programs in the fields of geology and mining, and to strengthen scientific and technical cooperation between the two sides during the coming period.

Background

The signing follows a series of meetings between the relevant institutions in both countries. According to the statement from the signing party, the memorandum allows Syria to draw on Turkish expertise and technology to explore and develop untapped subsurface resources, which was described as supporting energy security and attracting investment in the sector.