Syria Signs Two Memoranda of Understanding to Revive the Iraq–Syria Pipeline Project
Syria has signed two memoranda of understanding to revive the Iraq–Syria pipeline project during meetings held in the United States, attended by the Iraqi Prime Minister, the U.S. Secretary of Energy, and a number of senior officials. The move represents a strategic step toward reactivating one of the region’s key energy transportation routes.
The Syrian Petroleum Company, represented by its CEO, Eng. Yousef Qabalan, signed the first memorandum of understanding with the Basra Oil Company, represented by its CEO, Eng. Bassem Abdul Karim Nasser, to rehabilitate and revive the Iraq–Syria “Haditha–Baniyas” pipeline, historically linked to the Kirkuk–Baniyas pipeline route.
The memorandum aims to restore a vital corridor for transporting Iraqi crude oil to Syrian export terminals on the Mediterranean, strengthen energy cooperation between Syria and Iraq, develop the infrastructure associated with the project, and open new prospects for economic and investment integration between the two countries.
The Syrian Petroleum Company also signed a second memorandum of understanding with an international consortium comprising Chevron, UCC Holding, and TI Capital to begin preparing the necessary technical and financial studies for the project and develop the implementation frameworks and foundations for rehabilitating the pipeline and its associated facilities in accordance with approved technical standards, paving the way for the transition to the implementation phases.
The project is considered one of the region’s major strategic infrastructure projects. The rehabilitation works are expected to achieve an operational capacity of approximately two million barrels of crude oil per day, contributing to the reactivation of one of the region’s key energy transportation corridors and strengthening Syria’s position as an energy transit hub toward the Mediterranean.
The signing of the two memoranda comes as part of efforts to develop the oil and gas sector’s infrastructure, expand regional and international cooperation, and attract high-quality investments, thereby supporting energy security, contributing to economic development, and enhancing Syria’s role in the regional energy transportation network.