Türkiye, Iraq hold talks to strengthen water infrastructure cooperation
Turkish and Iraqi officials meet in Baghdad, Iraq, Feb. 16, 2025. (Photo via X/@MFATurkiye)
Turkish and Iraqi officials met in Baghdad on Sunday to discuss enhancing cooperation on Iraq’s water infrastructure, marking a significant step towards regional collaboration.
The meeting, co-chaired by Türkiye’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ambassador Berris Ekinci and Abdul Karim Al-Faisal, Chairman of Iraq’s Prime Minister’s Advisory Council, was the first session of the Joint High Committee dedicated to developing water infrastructure cooperation.
In a statement posted on X, Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the talks and emphasized the importance of the joint efforts.
Later, Ekinci also met with Iraq’s Water Resources Minister Aoun Diab Abdullah to further explore possibilities for collaboration in the field of water management.
Both sides exchanged views on the potential for joint projects aimed at addressing water resource challenges, according to the ministry.
In another development, Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein recently announced that Iraq is addressing technical issues with the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) to restart a crude oil export pipeline to Türkiye, which has been shut down for nearly two years. The closure of the Iraq-Türkiye pipeline has resulted in a reduction of Iraqi crude exports by 500,000 barrels per day, contributing to global supply tightness. Resuming KRG oil exports would be crucial in stabilizing oil markets, offsetting production cuts, and restoring Iraq’s revenue stream.
