Damascus, June 16 (SANA)President Ahmad al-Sharaa received on Tuesday at the People’s Palace in Damascus CEO of ConocoPhillips Ryan Lance, CEO of Novaterra Energy Alex MacDonald, and Syrian businessman Ayman Asfari.

Talks during the meeting dealt with aspects of cooperation in the energy sector, following the signing of a development contract with the two companies to upgrade the operational infrastructure of gas fields and enhance national gas production.Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Asaad al-Shaibani, Minister of Energy Mohammad al-Bashir, and CEO of the Syrian Petroleum Company Youssef Qablawi attended the meeting.

Earlier on Tuesday, theSyrian Petroleum Company (SPC)signed an agreement with the two US energy companies,ConocoPhillipsand Novaterra, to develop several gas fields and increase production from existing sites, as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s energy sector and expand natural gas supplies required for electricity generation and other key industries.