Sadiqoun Bloc urges parliamentary review of Iraq–Turkey water agreement

BAGHDAD — The Sadiqoun Bloc, the political wing of the Asaib Ahl Al-Haq group, called Wednesday for the Iraqi government to submit its newly signed water cooperation deal with Turkey to parliament for review and approval.

The bloc said in a statement that the agreement, signed on Nov. 2 in Baghdad by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, must undergo legal scrutiny before taking effect. “Any international agreement must follow constitutional and legal procedures,” the bloc said, warning that no solution to Iraq’s water crisis would be acceptable “if it compromises national sovereignty or creates future obligations that alter Iraq’s legal or international status.”

The bloc described the document as an extension of the framework agreement signed between the two countries on April 22, 2024, and urged the government to refer the new version to parliament “for full discussion and legal review” given its long-term implications.

“Iraq and Turkey have a historic opportunity to deepen their relationship in all fields,” the statement added, “but it must be a just relationship based on mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs.”

It stressed that no deal would be acceptable if it resulted in “placing Iraq’s oil, gas, or natural resources under the control of Turkey or any other state.”

The new cooperation mechanism outlines joint work between Iraq’s Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Construction, Housing, and Municipalities, and their Turkish counterparts. It focuses on four areas: improving water quality and reducing pollution, modernizing irrigation systems, rehabilitating agricultural land, and enhancing water governance and conservation.

Iraq is enduring its worst water crisis in eight decades, with reserves at record lows after another weak rainy season. Officials blame the shortages on climate change, drought, and upstream dam construction in Turkey and Iran.