Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has arrived in Azerbaijan on an official visit – this is his first trip to the country. The visit is taking place against the backdrop of intensified contacts between the countries on the issue of restoring the Syrian energy sector. During the reception of the foreign leader, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that he would supply gas to Syria.

In April, Ahmed al-Sharaa and his Azerbaijani counterpart held their first personal meeting at a diplomatic forum in Antalya.

According to the Middle East Eye publication, the possible participation of the Azerbaijani state company SOCAR in projects in northeastern Syria was discussed. In particular, the development of oil and gas fields and the construction of energy infrastructure were discussed.

“The importance of cooperation between our countries, in particular, in the energy sector, was noted at the meeting, it was reported that Syria is currently facing a serious energy problem,” the Azerbaijani side reported.

Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Aliyev expressed his readiness to help Syria with natural gas supplies.

It should be noted that the Syrian leader's visit to Azerbaijan took place shortly after the United States lifted some of the sanctions on Damascus. This happened after Ahmed al-Sharaa's meeting with former US President Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia. In addition, al-Sharaa was recently received by Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace - another signal of Syria's gradual return to the international arena.

After the end of the long-standing civil war and the overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad government in Syria, the new authorities are seeking to restore the country's infrastructure and economy, AFP reports. In May, Damascus announced that it had reached an agreement on natural gas supplies with Turkey.