Iraqi Security and Defense Committee: negotiations with Turkey on water are "Courtesy Talks"

Today, Karim Alawi Al-Mohmdawi, head of the Parliamentary Security and Defense Committee, called on the Iraqi government and Ministry of Foreign Affairs to involve representatives from southern provinces in any upcoming negotiations with Turkey regarding water issues.

In a statement from his media office, Al-Mohmdawi explained that past negotiation rounds with Ankara did not go beyond "courtesy," and did not reach the required levels of responsibility. He pointed out that "a negotiator who does not live the suffering of the southern people due to water scarcity will not be able to effectively defend their cause."

He noted that the southern provinces face a real danger due to the sharp decline in river water levels, which has directly resulted in the drying of the marshes and the deterioration of the environmental and agricultural situation.

The head of the Security and Defense Committee stressed rejection of continuing with "diplomatic courtesies that yield no real decisions," calling on the parliament’s presidency to hold a special session to discuss the water crisis with the attendance of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Water Resources, aiming to reach fundamental solutions to this worsening crisis.

For years, Turkey has unlawfully and in violation of international agreements cut water from the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, using this issue as leverage to control Iraqi decision-making and impose its political vision on Baghdad.

ANHA