Syria: Maritime Demarcation with Lebanon Possible

Reports indicate that the Syrian side was aware of the various details of the agreement on border demarcation, exploration, and gas extraction, focusing on what it entails for them. A Syrian political source told the newspaper "Al-Jomhouria" that Lebanon would not have pursued solutions in the gas file without resolving several issues, including the crisis of Syrian refugees. Addressing Lebanon's request to return refugees to their homeland, according to Syrian sources, also signifies meeting subsequent Syrian requirements, which may include allowing foreign companies to explore and extract in its waters. In this context, information has pointed out that Lebanon awarding a Qatari company the 20% stake previously given to a Russian company—following sanctions on Russia—does not disturb the Syrian side, and this award could be a gateway to economic cooperation that might extend to political coordination with Qatar later on, marking a delayed step towards the normalization of Syrian-Arab relations.