Syrian Petroleum Company team begins taking over oil fields in Hasakah

DAMASCUS

A technical delegation from the Syrian Petroleum Company arrived Monday in Hasakah in northeastern Syria and took over the strategic Rumeilan and Al-Suwaydiyah oil fields under a ceasefire and phased integration with the SDF group.

Accompanied by Hasakah’s internal security chief Brig. Gen. Marwan al-Ali, the delegation visited the Hasakah Fields Directorate to implement the agreement to assume control of the two oil fields, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.

The tour also was attended by Syrian Petroleum Company Deputy Director Walid Al-Youssef, the company’s director of corporate communications Safwan Sheikh Ahmad and several other officials, who reviewed conditions at the two fields and their oil facilities.

Speaking at a press conference after the visit, Al-Youssef said most surface pumps in the two areas remain operational and were not damaged during the war.

He stressed that Syria’s oil belongs to all Syrians, adding that all workers in the fields will continue their jobs, with improvements to their salaries.

Al-Youssef said repair work on war-damaged fields will begin next week, noting that oil and natural gas production will increase gradually.

Sheikh Ahmad said around 2.5 million barrels of oil per month are imported through foreign companies, explaining that revenues from wells that recently returned to state control in Hasakah will be transferred to the public treasury under a policy of fair revenue distribution.

Hasakah is considered Syria’s main energy reservoir, as it hosts the country’s largest oil and gas fields, most of which are concentrated in the northern and eastern parts of the province.

With the Syrian government regaining full control of oil and gas fields and expelling the YPG/SDF terror group, the country is witnessing what is seen as its most significant economic turning point in decades.

Oil and gas reserve figures indicate that Syria has substantial and promising resources, particularly as security and political stability improve in eastern regions.

However, the Syrian government faces major challenges, most notably rehabilitating damaged energy infrastructure, securing external technical cooperation and attracting investment to gradually increase production capacity.

Last month, the Syrian government announced a “comprehensive agreement” that includes a ceasefire and a phased integration deal with the SDF group to end the state of division in the country and lay the groundwork for a new phase of full integration.

Under the deal, the government will take control of the Rumeilan and al-Suwaydiyah oil fields as well as the Qamishli airport.

On Jan. 16, President Ahmad al-Sharaa issued a decree affirming that Syrian Kurds are an integral part of the Syrian people and their cultural and linguistic identity forms a core component of Syria’s unified national identity.​​​​​​​

The Syrian Army launched an operation against the SDF on Jan. 16 in areas west of the Euphrates River. The operation later expanded east of the river with the participation of tribal forces, leading to most of the territories previously occupied by the group coming under government control.

*Writing by Rania Abushamala