Iraq has begun exporting crude oil to Syria through the al-Yarubiyah border crossing, with a convoy of 70 tankers entering Syrian territory in the first such shipment along this route in 14 years.
According to Syria’s SANA news agency, the convoy is heading to the Baniyas refinery located on Syria’s Mediterranean coast.
Feras Rustum, a Syrian official stationed at the crossing, described the reopening after 14 years as a strategic step aimed at strengthening economic relations between Iraq and Syria. He said the move would improve the efficiency of commercial and energy shipments and pave the way for a long-term partnership between the two nations.
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The development comes as Iraq looks for alternative export routes for its oil amid the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran.
The crossing, referred to as Rabia on the Iraqi side, had been closed since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011. It was later taken over by ISIL in 2014 before being recaptured by Iraqi Kurdish forces.
Source: Al Jazeera