Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Syrian government for natural gas supply to Syria, according to the Azerbaijani state news agency AZERTAC.

The MoU was signed by Azerbaijan’s Economy Minister and SOCAR’s Supervisory Board Chairman Mikayil Jabbarov, and Syrian Energy Minister Mohammed al-Bashir.

“Today, I accompanied (Syrian) President Ahmad al Sharaa in an official visit to Azerbaijan where we discussed ways to enhance cooperation in the field of natural gas to secure the future of energy in Syria,” Bashir said in a statement on X.

“An agreement was signed with SOCAR regarding the supply of natural gas to Syria, a step towards energy independence and building strategic partnerships that serve the nation and its citizens,” he added.

Earlier this month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan quoted his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, as saying that Azerbaijan is “ready to provide all kinds of support on natural gas to Syria.”

Sharaa arrived in Azerbaijan early Saturday for his first official visit to the country since taking office earlier this year.

A statement by the Azerbaijani presidency said that Aliyev and Sharaa held talks attended by ministers and other officials from both sides.

“Due to the unfriendly policies of the previous Syrian government toward Azerbaijan, bilateral relations had experienced a period of stagnation,” Aliyev said.

He, however, emphasized that the establishment of a new government in Syria “has opened significant prospects for the advancement of ties.”

The Syrian president, for his part, thanked his Azerbaijani counterpart for his support to Syria.

He said that the ousted regime “had damaged relations with many countries, including Azerbaijan.”

He affirmed Syria’s interest in cooperating with Azerbaijan in political, economic, trade, cultural, humanitarian, and other areas.

Discussions between the two leaders also covered cooperation in humanitarian, educational, and cultural fields, including the provision of scholarships for Syrian students in Azerbaijan and the restoration of cultural monuments, according to the statement.

First official visit to Azerbaijan

Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa arrived in Azerbaijan on Saturday for his first official visit to the country since taking office earlier this year, according to Syria’s official news agency SANA and Azerbaijan’s state-run AZERTAC.

While neither agency disclosed the duration or full agenda of the visit, it marks another stop in al Sharaa’s diplomatic tour that began following his appointment on Jan. 29.

Since assuming office, he has visited Türkiye, France, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait.

A transitional administration led by al Sharaa was formed in Syria in January following the fall of the regime of Bashar al Assad.

Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in December, ending the Baath Party’s decades-long grip on power that began in 1963.