TotalEnergies, the French energy major, alongside partners QatarEnergy, the Qatari state energy company, and ConocoPhillips, the US oil producer, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Syrian Petroleum Company (SPC) to evaluate Block 3 offshore Syria in the Mediterranean Sea, TotalEnergies said in a statement.

The agreement covers a technical review of the Block 3 area and sets a framework for technical and commercial discussions on potential exploration activities.

“We are pleased to enter into this new partnership with the Syrian Petroleum Company with which we had a long and fruitful relationship from 1988 to 2011, and we look forward to cooperating with QatarEnergy and ConocoPhillips to assess Syrian offshore exploration opportunities in the Mediterranean Sea,” said Julien Pouget, Senior Vice President Middle East and North Africa Exploration and Production at TotalEnergies.

Recently, Syria has selected an offshore block for its inaugural deep-water oil and gas exploration project, partnering with US -based Chevron and Qatar’s UCC Holding, a leading construction firm.