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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.
The two countries recently have improved relations that were often strained over Turkish military incursions into northern Iraq for operations against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which Turkiye considers a terrorist group. Baghdad frequently condemned the incursions as a violation of its sovereignty, while Ankara accused Iraq of not doing enough to fight the PKK.
On Thursday, Turkiye lifted its flight ban on an airport in Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region, a restriction originally imposed in 2023 due to concerns over alleged PKK activity in the area.
Last month, Iraq resumed exporting oil from the semiautonomous Kurdish region through Turkiye’s Ceyhan port after exports had been halted for more than two years.
The decision to resume flights to Sulaymaniyah International Airport was announced by the office of Nechirvan Barzani, president of the Kurdish Region, late Thursday following a meeting in Ankara with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Erdogan and Barzani discussed Turkiye’s relations with Iraq and the Kurdish region, as well as opportunities for cooperation and regional developments, according to a statement from Erdogan’s office.
The PKK, designated a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the United States, and the European Union, has led a decades-long insurgency in Turkiye that has extended into Iraq and Syria, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths.
Earlier this year, the PKK agreed to disband and renounce armed conflict as part of a new peace initiative with Turkiye. A symbolic disarmament ceremony was held near Sulaymaniyah in July.
In a statement, the Kurdistan Region Presidency welcomed Turkiye’s decision to resume flights, calling it a reflection of the strong ties between the two sides and a move that would deepen mutual cooperation.
Turkish Airlines also confirmed the resumption of flights.
“As the flag carrier, we continue to proudly represent Turkiye in the skies across the globe. In line with this vision, we are delighted to soon reconnect our Sulaymaniyah route with the skies once again,” the company’s spokesperson, Yahya Ustun, said on social media.