Iraq and Syria Discuss Oil Exports Through Baniyas Pipeline

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus on Wednesday, October 28, for talks on strengthening economic, energy and security cooperation between the neighboring countries. The visit included expanded discussions between delegations from Iraq and Syria, with oil exports and trade among the subjects raised. Al-Zaidi’s office said the leaders discussed exporting Iraqi oil through the Baniyas pipeline, which it described as having capacity of up to 2 million barrels per day. That figure is the pipeline’s stated capacity, not a confirmed export volume. The office did not provide technical requirements, financing or an implementation timetable, and the discussions do not establish that the pipeline is operational or that exports at that level will take place. The visit comes as Baghdad and Damascus pursue closer economic ties. The countries signed a memorandum of understanding in July to rehabilitate an oil pipeline extending from Haditha in western Iraq to the Syrian Mediterranean port of Baniyas. Iraq also approved technical and financial studies for two proposed export routes: Basra-Haditha-Baniyas through Syria and...