New Cooperation In Energy And Mining Have Been Taken With Syria

ANKARA - Energy and Natural Resources Ministry said on Thursday that steps of a new cooperation in energy and mining had been taken with Syria.
A Ministry issued a statement on meetings of Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Guler in Damascus, where he attended the ninth ministerial meeting of Interconnection Project covering six countries.
The statement said that besides Guler, electricity ministers of Syria, Egypt and Jordan and water minister of Lebanon and high-level officials of Iraqi Electricity Ministry had attended the meeting.
''Memorandum of understanding signed between Turkey and Syria in Ankara on July 29, 2003 was handled in the meeting and cooperation opportunities in oil, natural gas, natural resources and mining between two countries were taken up,'' the statement pointed out.
The statement said, ''accordingly, Turkish Oil Corp. (TPAO) and Syrian SPC oil company will meet and conduct a joint project on crude oil searches in Syria, enrichment of resources, natural gas searches and mining.''
TPAO could join tenders to be opened in the above mentioned fields in Syria, the statement said.
The statement noted that TPAO and SPC would start a new project to increase crude oil production in four regions in that country and TPAO would extend logical, material, equipment and machine support to SPC.
Under the compromise between two countries, iron reserves of Syria and natural gas and gas potential would jointly be made use of, the statement stressed.
The statement said, ''attention of Turkish private sector will be drawn for phosphate and marble resources of Syria and those resources will be utilized. Thus, Turkish mining sector can join international tenders to be opened in Syria.''
Sides accepted that Turkey was a bridge of energy and terminal between consumer markets in the west and its energy producing neighbors, the statement emphasized.
The statement said, ''within this framework, participants decided to form a common advisory board to exchange views on energy transportation and marketing between energy producing countries of the region and the west.''
The statement added that the advisory board would start to function as soon as possible.
(BRC-AÖ) 06.11.2003