The Syrian Oil Minister Firas Hassan Kaddour told Sputnik on Wednesday that Damascus expects to reclaim oil fields currently under US occupation and bring them back under Syrian government control soon.

He highlighted that numerous oil fields in northern Syria that had been damaged by terrorist attacks have already been recovered by the Syrian government, with restoration efforts underway.

"We expect to liberate the [oil] fields remaining under occupation in the very near future, return them to the Syrian Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources, and begin their restoration," the minister said on the sidelines of the 12th Arab Energy Conference in Qatar's capital city, Doha.

In the upcoming year of 2024, Syria plans to perform seismic exploration for oil and gas deposits north of Damascus and in various regions, as mentioned by Firas Hassan Kaddour, the Syrian Oil Minister.

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The reconstruction of a heavily damaged oil refinery in the central province of Homs is also slated to commence in 2024.

"We have defined a plan for the restoration of the oil refinery in Homs, dividing the work into three stages. The first stage is its current repair, which is being carried out by our specialists. The second part is its reconstruction next year, with reconstruction plans being studied now. The development of the plant - that is in long-term plans," the official said.

Recently, the coordinator of Iranian efforts for repair work at overseas oil refineries Ali Shahverdi announced Iran's plans to initiate the reconstruction of the Homs refinery with a processing capacity of 120,000 barrels.

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Reactivation of Arab Gas Pipeline

During discussions at the 12th Arab Energy Conference in Doha, Kaddour discussed the possibility of reactivating the Arab Gas Pipeline with counterparts from Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan.

This initiative follows the completion of repairs on Syria's territory, as indicated by the ministry.

"The sides discussed the possibility of launching the Arab Gas Pipeline through Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, which is in the interests of these countries. Kaddour confirmed that the section of the pipeline in Syrian territory is ready for gas transportation after the repair and maintenance works were carried out," the statement read.

The ministers further underscored the significance of enhancing collaboration in the oil and gas sector.