BAGHDAD, Aug 23 (NNN-NINA) – Iraqi Foreign Minister, Fuad Hussein, yesterday held talks with visiting Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, to discuss outstanding issues between the two countries, including Iraq’s water share and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants, based in Iraq.
At a joint press conference after meeting with Fidan, Hussein said, the two sides discussed bilateral relations, including the issue of Iraq’s water share, as both countries have been affected by global climate change.
“The main water sources for Iraq’s Tigris and Euphrates rivers come from Türkiye, and getting a fair share of water was an important topic of discussion during the meeting,” Hussein said.
Iraq heavily relies on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which originate in Türkiye, to fulfill its water needs. But the water levels in the two rivers have declined significantly over the years, as a result of drought, the construction of dams, and the diversion of water, upstream.
Hussein thanked his Turkish counterpart “for presenting the idea of forming a joint committee on the water issue,” saying that, the two countries need to take joint actions to combat climate change and drought that threaten Iraq’s economy and agriculture.
He said, the strong bilateral trade relations benefit the peoples of both countries, noting that, “about 850 Turkish companies are operating in Iraq, most of which work in the field of construction.”
For his part, Fidan said that, the volume of trade between Iraq and Türkiye has reached 25 billion U.S. dollars, so far this year, but it is “lagging behind the real capabilities.”
He added that, the Turkish government “is closely following the water shortage in Iraq and dealing with the issue from a humanitarian point of view.”– NNN-NINA
Hussein said the two sides also discussed the issue of resuming Iraq’s oil exports via Türkiye.
As for the PKK problem, Fidan said that combatting terrorism was among other issues he discussed with his Iraqi counterpart. “Our common enemy, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, should not be allowed to influence our bilateral relations,” he said.
Fidan arrived in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Tuesday afternoon on a two-day official visit. He is scheduled to meet with top Iraqi leaders, including the Iraqi president, prime minister and speaker of parliament, before heading to the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq to meet the Kurdish leaders.
