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Turkish Delegation to Visit Syria to Discuss Energy Cooperation

(FILES) Syrian refugees who live in Türkiye walk with their belongings at Cilvegozu crossborder gate before entering Syria at Reyhanli district in Hatay, on December 9, 2024. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP)
(FILES) Syrian refugees who live in Türkiye walk with their belongings at Cilvegozu crossborder gate before entering Syria at Reyhanli district in Hatay, on December 9, 2024. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP)
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Turkish Delegation to Visit Syria to Discuss Energy Cooperation

(FILES) Syrian refugees who live in Türkiye walk with their belongings at Cilvegozu crossborder gate before entering Syria at Reyhanli district in Hatay, on December 9, 2024. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP)
(FILES) Syrian refugees who live in Türkiye walk with their belongings at Cilvegozu crossborder gate before entering Syria at Reyhanli district in Hatay, on December 9, 2024. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP)

A delegation from Türkiye's energy ministry will visit Syria "soon" to discuss possible energy cooperation including transmitting electricity to ease power shortages, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said late on Monday.
Türkiye, which backed Syrian opposition fighters who toppled President Bashar al-Assad this month after a 13-year civil war, has reopened its embassy in Damascus and its intelligence chief and foreign minister have met with de-facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Erdogan last week said that Ankara would do whatever necessary for the reconstruction of Syria, including improving energy ties.
"A delegation from the Energy Ministry will visit Syria as soon as possible and will conduct examinations on electricity and energy infrastructure of Syria," Bayraktar told reporters, according to Reuters.
The Turkish delegation will also discuss energy cooperation with the new Syrian government and Türkiye's possible assistance on the issue, Bayraktar added.
"The main problem in Syria in the field of energy is the electricity (shortage) at the moment. A formula will be sought (for Türkiye) to provide electricity to Syria," he added.
Türkiye currently provides electricity to some parts of northern Syria where it has mounted four military operations since 2016.

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Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Holding Buys $400 Million Stake in xAI

xAI logo is seen near computer motherboard in this illustration taken January 8, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
xAI logo is seen near computer motherboard in this illustration taken January 8, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
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Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Holding Buys $400 Million Stake in xAI

xAI logo is seen near computer motherboard in this illustration taken January 8, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
xAI logo is seen near computer motherboard in this illustration taken January 8, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Kingdom Holding Company (KHC) said on Wednesday it has acquired a key stake in xAI Corporation, an artificial intelligence company founded by US billionaire Elon Musk for 1.5 billion Saudi Riyals ($400 million), becoming the second largest investor in X and xAI.

The acquisition of the new stake is part of xAI’s Series C funding round, said KHC in its filing to Saudi bourse Tadawul.

This transaction follows KHC's previous investment at the same value in xAI during its Series B funding round.

It further solidifies KHC's strategic partnership with Elon Musk, and follows its strategic stake in X (Twitter), held since 2015, KHC stated.

A post on X said Prince Alwaleed bin Talal became the second largest shareholders in Musk’s two companies, X & xAI.

In November 2022, the Saudi prince moved almost 35 million Twitter shares through the Kingdom Holding Company, worth about $1.9 billion at the $54.20 per share sale price. That made him the “second-largest investor” in the new parent company.
Funding Rounds

The funding rounds consist of several fundraising events in which startups or existing companies raise funds from investors to continue building their infrastructure and accelerate research and development.

The rounds start with a “seed round” of funding where a startup typically raises money from the owners to cover initial operating expenses and then expand to Series A, B, and C funding rounds as the company develops to raise additional capital.

In terms of risks, Series B funding is generally less risky than Series A funding, while Series C is less risky than Series B and is typically used by companies that are growing rapidly and need additional capital to fund their expansion.

Musk's xAI Series C funding round included the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and the Oman Investment Authority (OIA).

Participants included Morgan Stanley and BlackRock, which were described as two of the major investors in the fundraising round.

KHC, in which Public Investment Fund (PIF) owns a 17% stake, said xAI has a $45 billion valuation with the latest funding round, indicating a significant increase from its $25 billion valuation during the Series B funding round, the filing showed.

Following the announcement of the acquisition, the shares of KHC, listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange, rose by 0.44% to 9.16 riyals.

xAI’s strategy focuses on developing leading AI models and working closely with other technology companies associated with its founder, including Tesla, SpaceX, and X, whose application has over 500 million users.

KHC said this transaction further solidifies KHC's strategic partnership with Elon Musk, and follows its strategic stake in X (Twitter), held since 2015.

It forms part of KHC’s business model of securing early stakes in emerging technologies and its ambition to lead and innovate within the AI industry, it added.