Turkiye to increase water releases to Iraq

Shafaq News – Ankara/Baghdad

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has agreed to immediately release 420 cubic meters of water per second to Iraq, Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani announced on Tuesday.

According to a statement from al-Mashhadani’s media office, the speaker had urged the Turkish leadership to give special attention to Iraq’s water needs and to increase the flow of water from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, particularly to drought-hit areas in southern Iraq.

Erdogan reportedly expressed his country’s commitment to sharing its water resources with Iraq, framing it as a fraternal duty. “Turkiye shares what god has given it with its brothers in Iraq and will not withhold it from them.”

Al-Mashhadani also emphasized the need to resolve residency-related issues facing Iraqis in Turkiye and to ease bureaucratic procedures, urging Ankara to avoid abrupt deportations of Iraqi residents.

Earlier, Al-Mashhadani and his Turkish counterpart agreed to boost economic ties, support Turkish investment in Iraq, and strengthen parliamentary cooperation through dialogue, expertise exchange, and coordinated positions in international forums.