Erdogan tempted by Syrian “black gold” … Ambitions “exposed”.
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Roshan Amiri
- . March 12, 2020
- . Update: March 12, 2020 2:56 pm
The recent statements of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan exposed his true intentions, the size of Turkish ambitions, and the motives behind the military intervention in Syria.
According to a report published by the website “Ahwal” newspaper, the Turkish President asked his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to participate in the management of oil fields in Deir Ezzor, eastern Syria, instead of the Kurdish-led forces.
Erdogan told reporters on his plane while returning from Brussels: “I showed Mr. Putin that if he provided economic support we can make the structure and through the oil extracted here, we can help the destroyed Syria stand on its feet.”
According to Erdogan, Putin is studying the offer, which the Turkish president made during talks in Moscow last week, adding that he could make a similar offer to US President Donald Trump.
Erdogan said: “Instead of the terrorists who benefit here (the Kurds), we will have the opportunity to rebuild Syria from the revenues of this oil. This would also show who is seeking to protect Syria’s unity and who is seeking to seize it.”
The US-backed Kurdish People’s Protection Units control most of the oilfield areas in eastern Syria. According to data from “Oil Price”, the oil reserves in Syria constitute about two billion barrels, and the bulk of it is concentrated in Deir Ezzor.
Deir Al-Zour includes the largest oil fields in the country, followed by Hasaka, where the Omar field is the largest and most famous field in the countryside in Deir Al-Zour, in addition to the wells and fields surrounding it as the field of manor, all of which are subject to the control of the “Syrian Democratic Forces” which Turkey classifies as “terrorist”.
The production of the Omar field, according to statistics indicated by the Syrian media before the outbreak of the crisis in the country, reaches 30 thousand barrels per day.
In 2014, the terrorist organization ISIS took control of the field, and it became its most prominent source of funding before losing it in October 2017. The tank field is also one of the largest in Syria after the Al-Omar field, and it is located in the Badiyat Al-Shuaitat desert in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor.
According to media reports, the tank field was producing about 40 percent of Syria’s oil production before the crisis, and its daily production was about 10,000 barrels.
And armed factions belonging to Turkey had taken control of the field in late 2012, before falling into the hands of the terrorist organization ISIS in July 2014.
