“Without response,” Iraq offers Türkiye a “huge” economic exchange in exchange for water.
“Without response,” Iraq offers Türkiye a “huge” economic exchange in exchange for water.
2025-07-31 04:27
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Faleh al-Khazaali, head of the parliamentary Agriculture and Water Committee, revealed on Thursday that the Iraqi negotiating delegation had offered Turkey a number of economic concessions, including increased trade and fuel imports, in exchange for increasing water releases into Iraq. However, Turkey has yet to respond.
Al-Khazaali told Shafaq News Agency, “The Turkish side has not responded to the Iraqi initiatives, despite the presence of 136 Turkish incursion points and four Turkish military bases inside Iraqi territory.” He noted that this disregard raises questions about Ankara’s seriousness in addressing the water issue.
Al-Khazaali warned of “serious repercussions” if the water scarcity continues, saying, “We fear that the water scarcity will impact the security situation and threaten social peace, especially in the central and southern governorates.” He held Turkey responsible for what might happen if the increased water releases are not addressed.
The head of the parliamentary committee stated that “Iraq needs water releases of no less than 800 cubic meters per second,” explaining that the current release from the Turkish side does not exceed 350 cubic meters per second, and may drop to 300 meters, which he described as “insufficient to meet the minimum needs.”
He stressed that “the continuation of this situation could lead to the shutdown of the liquefaction plants (water treatment and pumping) in Baghdad and their going out of service, unless action is taken to secure a fair share of water.”
Türkiye began increasing water releases through the Tigris River in early July, a move welcomed as a partial response to the water crisis.
This development came following a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani in Ankara, where Türkiye decided to release 420 cubic meters of water per second from the Tigris River, according to a statement issued by the Parliament Speaker’s office.
In the same context, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced that Turkey and Syria had agreed to increase water releases to Iraq.
In a televised statement during his visit to Basra Governorate, Al-Sudani said that the government has begun taking diplomatic measures to address the water scarcity, through contacts with neighboring countries, most notably Türkiye.
He added that the Turkish president had agreed to release 320 cubic meters of water per second into the Mosul Dam and 350 cubic meters across the Iraqi-Syrian border, noting that these quantities “are hoped to contribute to alleviating the crisis, particularly in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.”
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