Iraqi PM approves first package of strategic water projects with Turkiye

Shafaq News/ Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Monday called for an optimal management of bilateral water projects with Turkiye, announcing the launch of the first package of these projects.

The move comes after a high-level meeting held in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on the initial phase of water-related projects under the framework agreement signed between the two countries in April. The 13-project package is part of Iraq's wider investment plan.

"The launch of these projects will introduce a new approach to water management," al-Sudani said. He highlighted the need to prioritize treatment plants, sewage projects, water resources initiatives, and strategic dams.

The Prime Minister directed the immediate launch of the first package, indicating that funds have already been allocated. He also called for the formation of a specialized technical team from the Ministry of Water Resources to handle technical matters and coordinate with the Turkish side.

According to the statement, six projects will be run the Ministry of Water Resources, five by the Ministry of Construction, and two by the Ministry of Agriculture. "These projects range from irrigation network reclamation and closed irrigation systems to drainage of primary and secondary channels and the construction of water storage dams," it read.

On April 22, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan traveled to Baghdad to meet with Iraqi prime minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, marking his first visit there in thirteen years. The trip produced several significant bilateral agreements on energy, water, security, trade, and transportation, signaling a mutual desire to improve relations.

Ever since Turkiye began constructing large hydroelectric dams on the Tigris and Euphrates in the 1970s, Iraq and Syria have expressed deep concerns over Ankara potentially weaponizing water against them (Iraq is downstream for both rivers, and Syria for the Euphrates). In 1983, the three countries formed a Joint Technical Committee to discuss management of the rivers, but they never reached a trilateral settlement despite inking bilateral arrangements. In 1987, for instance, Ankara signed a treaty with Damascus to release 500 cubic meters of water per second from the Euphrates; three years later, Damascus signed an agreement with Baghdad promising 58 percent of that water to Iraq. An Iraq-Turkiye agreement remains the missing link.

Moreover, Ankara has at times decreased or cut off the flow of both rivers when collecting water for its large dams, such as Keban, Karakaya, and Ataturk on the Euphrates and Ilisu on the Tigris. It has also done so for geopolitical reasons, such as when it blocked the Euphrates in 1990 after Iraq invaded Kuwait (at the time, Turkiye had no major dams that would have allowed it to block the Tigris). Such moves have made Baghdad and Damascus feel vulnerable about their water security, spurring them to push back against Ankara in other ways, from strengthening ties with the Soviet Union during the Cold War to sheltering the PKK.

During last month’s summit, Turkey and Iraq signed a cooperation framework agreement and various memorandums of understanding aimed at “fairly and equally allocating cross-border waters and establishing a goal for the efficient and sensible use of water.” Ankara has also committed to providing technical assistance on water management, including modern irrigation systems and techniques. The real test lies in whether Turkish companies can implement agribusiness projects on Iraqi soil amid a chronic local governance deficit and potential threats of violence from the PKK and Iran-backed militias.