The electricity grid in Syria is developing eerie similarities with the country’s politics as a whole. As the war continues, the regime is reportedly switching off their import lines from Turkey, Jordan and Egypt and replacing them with power from Iran.
Ever since last Eid (Eid il Futr 2012) Syria has stopped their usual supply from Egypt and Jordan despite attacks on the grid by rebel forces and general electrical outages across the country. Turkey has been threatening to turn off the lights for months but in reality, the move came from the Levantines.
Last week, Agence France-Presse quoted Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz as saying that “Syria has suspended purchasing power from Turkey.”
In the region, the regime has lost almost all its support from neighboring countries other than Iran, as the old Sunni/Shia divide rears its ugly head.
- The not-entirely-independent, Tehran Times, reported this week that Iran had kindly compensated for the electricity shortage with no mention of why a whole region might want to cut off the Syrian regime’s power.
Prior to Syria’s pariah status, it was part of a regional electricity board, consisting of Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq and Jordan. President Assad had also signed a memorandum of understanding with their non-Arab neighbor, Turkey, to provide 100 million US dollar’s worth of electricity for 2007 and 2008.
But with the crackdown on rebels in full flow, the regime has lost all but one of its power-full friends. Under the new agreement, Tehran will supply their ally with 250 megawatts of electricity, meaning Syria is at the mercy of the Iranian switch.
What do you think of Syria's decision to switch to Iranian power? Is this a sign that the situation is Syria is only getting worse? Leave us your comments below!
