The Eurphrates and Tigris rivers merge and form the Shatt al-Arab waterway in Iraq's southern Bashra province. Photo: Bilind T. Abdullah/Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Water is a priority for Iraq when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visits on Monday, an official from the Iraqi ministry of water resources told Rudaw on Sunday.
"The prime minister has stated on more than one occasion that the issue of water resources is at the top of this government's agenda, and no matter will be discussed unless Iraq's water rights are included,” Khaled Shamal, spokesperson for the ministry of water resources, told Rudaw’s Anmar Ghazi.
“Any issue that is raised will include a focus on water,” he said.
Erdogan will visit Baghdad on Monday when he is scheduled to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani and President Abdul Latif Rashid. The Turkish president has also said that water will be a top issue.
"One of the most important agenda items of our visit is the water issue. They [Iraq] have made some requests regarding water and we are working on these issues. We will make efforts to resolve this issue with them," Erdogan told reporters in Ankara last week.
Baghdad has complained that Ankara has reduced the flow of water in shared Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which Turkey has dammed, contributing to water shortages in Iraq.
Iraq’s Water Resources Minister Aoun Diab told Rudaw in February that per an agreement, the Turkish government is “required to release 500 cubic meters of water per second as a minimum and of this 260 cubic meters should reach Iraq.” The minister charged that the flow of water from Turkey to Iraq has dramatically decreased in recent years, especially in 2022 when Iraq only received 180 cubic meters of water.
Baghdad is hopeful that they will reach an agreement on Monday, Fadi al-Shammari, a political advisor to Sudani, told Rudaw. “The issue of water is one of the most important files, and we believe we will reach an agreement and consensus on it between Iraq and Turkey,” he said.
The two sides have met several times on the matter in the past and failed to reach any final agreement. In March 2023, Sudani traveled to Ankara where he sought an increase in the release of water. Erdogan agreed to double the water released into the Tigris River for one month.
Water levels in the Euphrates and Tigris rivers - shared by Iraq, Syria, and Turkey - have dropped considerably in recent years. A report by the Ministry of Water Resources last year predicted that unless urgent action is taken to combat declining water levels, the two rivers will be dry by 2040.
Also expected to be on the agenda for Erdogan’s visit are Kurdish oil exports, border security, and the Development Road project. Erdogan will stop in Erbil after his meetings in Baghdad.
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