Syria halted buying electricity from Turkey

Syria had halted on its own will buying electricity from Turkey amid tensions between the two countries mounted after a week of artillery and mortar trade across the border since last Wednesday when an errant Syrian shell landed inside last week, killing five civilians. "Syria on its own choice quit last week buying electricity from our country. But I'd like to remind that our doors are open if they prefer to resume buying electricity for the use of all Syrian people," Turkish energy minister Taner Yildiz told reporters in the central city of Kayseri after a national energy conference. Yildiz, as Anatolia news agency reports, said Syria had purchased from private Turkish companies 2.3 billion kWh of electricity since July 2011, adding that Turkish supply constituted nearly 20% of Syria's overall annual consumption. CEO of a Turkish company selling electricity to Syria said the halt was due to a damage the Syrian power grid suffered from the 19-month-old crisis in the country.