ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraq’s Minister of Water Resources Aoun Diab met with Turkish Ambassador to Iraq Anil Bora Inan, with the pair discussing cooperation to facilitate meeting Iraq’s water needs from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

Diab  told the Turkish diplomat “that Iraq is experiencing its most difficult water year in decades due to the scarcity of rainfall and the low revenues from upstream countries,” according to a statement by the Iraqi water ministry, emphasizing the “urgent need” to increase Iraq’s water supply, particularly in the wake of “the worsening effects of climate change.”

Inan for his part, outlined Turkey’s “readiness to exchange expertise, provide technical support, and implement water harvesting dam projects using advanced technologies,” while praising the ability of Turkish companies to “contribute to Iraqi infrastructure projects and implement the provisions of the framework agreement recently signed between the two countries,” the statement added.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani announced earlier in July that Baghdad has signed a strategic agreement with Ankara on water management, which includes “the transfer of Turkey’s successful water management model to Iraq, particularly in dam and water plant projects.”

The agreement will see Turkey increasing water flow to Iraq to 420 cubic meters per second, according to Water Resources Ministry spokesperson Khaled Shamal

Water scarcity has been a long-standing and critical issue for Iraq, exacerbated by upstream dams constructed by Turkey along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

These dams have significantly reduced water flow into Iraq, intensifying the country’s existing water shortages.

Around 90 percent of Iraq’s water sources originate from Turkey.