Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa paid his first official visit to Azerbaijan on 12 July, holding talks with President Ilham Aliyev at Baku’s Zagulba Palace. The trip is part of Sharaa’s effort to rebuild Syria’s foreign relationships after assuming office in January, following the collapse of the Assad government. During the visit, Azerbaijan’s state energy company SOCAR signed a memorandum of understanding with the Syrian government to begin supplying natural gas to Syria. The fuel is expected to reach Syrian territory through Turkey, providing a crucial lifeline for a power-starved economy. Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has previously said Ankara aims to channel about two billion cubic metres of gas a year and up to 1,000 megawatts of electricity to Syria under the emerging arrangement. A diplomatic source said that, on the sidelines of Sharaa’s visit, Syrian and Israeli officials were scheduled to hold a direct meeting in Baku to discuss Israel’s recent military deployment in parts of southern Syria. The source added that Sharaa would not attend the talks. Israel maintains close defence ties with Azerbaijan, while Ankara has facilitated recent technical discussions among the three countries.