OR Turkey intends to offer electricity to Syria and help the country strengthen its energy infrastructure, the Turkish energy minister said today Alparslan Bayraktarwhile adding that Ankara could cooperate with the new Syrian authorities to exploit the country’s oil and natural gas fields.

After supporting the Syrian rebels who overthrew the president Bashar al-Assad earlier in December, Turkey has become one of the main powers influencing Syria and pledged to help rebuild the country after 13 years of civil war.

Turkey was one of the first countries to reopen its embassy in Damascus, while the country’s foreign minister and intelligence chief met with Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al Sara (Al Golani).

Bayraktar, who was meeting with Turkish media reporters, said a delegation, which he may lead, plans to go to Syria on Saturday to discuss the country’s electric transition, infrastructure restoration and other issues.

“We need to very quickly provide electricity to the areas of Syria that do not have it, initially with imports. In the medium term we also plan to increase the power generation capacity there as well,” the Turkish minister pointed out, as reported by Hurriyet newspaper.

“There is a need for everything in Syria. We will work on an infrastructure plan with the leaders there,” he said, adding that Turkey could also supply electricity to Lebanon through Syria.

Bayraktar pointed out that Ankara is looking at ways to use Syria’s oil and gas resources to rebuild the country, as production of both has declined during the civil war.

“There are many issues that need to be matured, from the creation of an oil pipeline from Syria to Turkey, its connection with the Iraq-Turkey pipeline,” he noted, while estimating that Ankara and Damascus could cooperate in the oil sector and natural gas in the immediate future.