Iraq, Turkey near deal on water management, Foreign Ministry says

BAGHDAD — Iraq and Turkey are close to signing a framework agreement on water management, Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said Friday, adding that the signing is expected soon in Baghdad, according to a statement from Iraq’s Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Iraq is facing its worst water crisis in eight decades, with reserves at their lowest levels in 80 years following a dry rainy season. Officials have blamed climate change, drought, and upstream dam projects in Turkey and Iran for the shortages.

Hussein made the announcement during a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, noting that bilateral discussions began two years ago and produced two key outcomes. “The first is a long-term objective, represented by reaching understandings and a draft framework agreement on water management and the role of the Turkish government and companies in this field,” he said. Hussein added that Fidan had been formally invited to Baghdad to finalize the deal.

The second goal, Hussein said, concerns “dealing with the immediate situation of drought in Iraq,” with both sides holding detailed discussions on mechanisms for water releases.

Fidan confirmed that a joint committee has been working over the past two years to address Iraq’s water crisis. “Turkey recognizes the severity of water scarcity in Iraq, especially in Basra, Mosul, and other cities,” he said. “It is a shared issue resulting from climate change and drought conditions.”

Iraq’s Ministry of Water Resources warned Thursday that the country has entered a “critical” stage as water levels in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers continue to fall, leaving reserves at their lowest in decades.

Earlier this month, the Badr parliamentary bloc threatened to sever political and economic ties with Turkey over what it called a “clear hostile act” of restricting water flows to Iraq.

In July, Water Resources Minister Aoun Dhiab said Turkey had failed to release the agreed volumes of water from both rivers, contradicting earlier claims by Parliament Speaker Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had agreed to increase flows beginning July 2.