In a notable development for the region's energy landscape, Syria has formally invited Russian oil company Tatneft to resume its operations in the country, more than a decade after the firm suspended activities due to civil war and international sanctions. The letter, reported by The Syria Report and published on June 25, 2025, signals renewed Syrian-Russian economic cooperation, even as Moscow’s military presence in Syria has diminished.

Shifting Alliances and Economic Signals

The invitation was issued by the administration of President Ahmad Sharaa, who has positioned his government within a more Western-aligned political framework. Despite this orientation, Damascus continues to court Russian commercial partnerships, particularly in the energy sector. Tatneft's prior activities in Syria focused on Block 27, located east of Deir ez-Zor near the Iraqi border—a region still considered strategically significant for oil production.

Though Russia's military footprint in Syria has scaled back significantly, limited to symbolic forces in the coastal bases of Hmeimim and Tartus, Damascus appears eager to maintain and expand Russian economic involvement.

Sanctions Eased, Investments Revived

The Syrian outreach to Tatneft comes in the wake of recent moves by the United States and European Union to ease sanctions on Syria. The letter cited these policy shifts as a key reason for renewed interest in foreign energy investment.

Syria’s Ministry of Petroleum is reportedly encouraging Tatneft to pick up operations where they left off in 2012, offering what it described as an "opportunity" to benefit from the improved geopolitical climate and reenter the sector under more favorable conditions.