Turkey ready to collaborate with Iraq on water management

BAGHDAD, November 2 — Turkey’s Minister of Agriculture and Forestry announced on Wednesday that his country was ready to cooperate with Iraq on projects using advanced technologies to mitigate the effects of water scarcity.

Minister Ibrahim Yumakli’s announcement came during a meeting with Iraq’s ambassador to Ankara, Majid Al-Lajmaawi.

The Iraqi Embassy issued a readout of the meeting, which said:

The Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq to Ankara, Mr. Majid Al-Lajmaawi, met today, Wednesday, November 1, with the Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Mr. Ibrahim Yumakli, at the ministry’s headquarters in the capital, Ankara.

During the meeting, ways to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries were discussed. The Ambassador expressed his aspiration to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in various fields, particularly in areas related to water and agriculture. He also emphasized the activation of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two countries in the field of water management. At the same time, he extended an invitation to reputable and experienced Turkish companies and experts to contribute the latest technologies and modern technology to Iraq to achieve optimal water management. This aligns with the Iraqi government’s priorities, focusing on transitioning from open irrigation to piped irrigation and modernizing techniques in collaboration with global reputable companies.

Ambassador Al-Lajmaawi stressed the necessity of serious collaboration to find solutions, exchange perspectives and ideas, noting that a technical delegation from the Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources will visit Ankara in the middle of this month to discuss the water situation and all outstanding issues between the two sides.

On his part, the Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry expressed the readiness of his country to fully cooperate with Iraq in implementing projects using advanced technologies that will enhance the country’s water system and mitigate the effects of water scarcity. He also conveyed an official invitation to the Iraqi Minister of Agriculture, Engineer Abbas Jabr Al-Alaoui, to visit Ankara as part of strengthening bilateral relations between the neighboring countries.