April 21 () –
The president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will visit Iraq this Monday with the intention of championing a “qualitative leap” in relations between both countries through the signing of more than twenty agreements on a wide variety of matters, starting with the distribution of water.
The drought in Iraq is the product of multiple factors that begin in Turkey, on Iraq's northern border, whose network of dams has strangled the springs of both rivers, and continue in Iran, which diverts some of their tributaries.
As a direct consequence, northern and central Iraq take a huge percentage of an already restricted supply while activists denounce abuse of the irrigation practice. All of this, added together, culminates in the serious droughts that regularly hit the southern regions.
“Turkey is one of the most successful countries in the world when it comes to water management and use. Within this framework, an important and surprising agreement is going to be signed,” said Iraqi government spokesman Basim Al. Awadi, to the Turkish Anatolia news agency.
Another issue to highlight is the relationship between both countries with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that fights against Ankara in northern Iraq and which has recently been outlawed by the Iraqi National Security Council.
The spokesperson explained that PKK members who hand over their weapons will receive 'refugee' status under the supervision of the United Nations and that they will in no way be able to form a party or participate in political activities.
Erdogan will meet, among others, with the Prime Minister of Iraq, Mohamed Shia al Sudani, with whom he will discuss these issues and others of interest such as the development of roads across the border between both countries.
