Qatar Has No Plans to Supply Gas to Europe via Syria and Turkey

Foreks - The spokesperson for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Majed bin Mohammed al-Ansari, stated that reports suggesting the country could send its natural gas to Europe via Syria and Turkey are nothing more than rumors.

Majed bin Mohammed al-Ansari said, "We have all seen the media speculation regarding this natural gas pipeline. These are nothing but media speculation."

In response to a question from TASS about the possibility of building a pipeline to supply natural gas to Europe through Syria and Turkey, the spokesperson stated: "As Qatar, we are determined to support the Syrian people with humanitarian and technical assistance, as we have at Damascus International Airport, and also to discuss all kinds of technical assistance for the reconstruction of infrastructure. Economically, when it comes to gas supply, we cannot comment on this matter."

The possibility of constructing a Qatar-Turkey pipeline has been discussed since 2009; however, according to Ankara, the realization of the project has faced opposition from former Syrian officials. On January 4, Turkey's Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar stated that Qatari gas could reach Europe through Turkey if a secure transportation system is established in Syria, provided that the country and the region are stable.