ANKARA: Top diplomats from Turkiye and Iraq reached a tentative agreement Friday on sharing water and managing dwindling flows through the Tigris and Euphrates rivers as the region faces worsening drought conditions.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein told a joint news conference that the draft “framework” agreement on water management between the two neighbors would soon be signed in Iraq.
Iraqi officials have long complained that dams built by Turkiye are reducing Iraq’s water supply. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, which provide most of Iraq’s fresh water, originate in Turkiye. Experts fear that climate change could exacerbate water shortages in Iraq.
“We know and understand the difficulties you are experiencing. We are brothers and sisters in this region,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, insisting that Turkiye was actively engaged in helping Iraq address the water situation. “The waters of the Euphrates and Tigris (rivers) belong to all of us.”
Fidan said he hoped water rehabilitation projects would be swiftly implemented. “This water shortage will continue to be a problem not only today but also for years to come,” he said.
