ANKARA, Aug. 6 -- Turkey and Iraq have agreed to establish a water resources center in the Iraqi capital of Bagdad to study and address water issues in the region, a move aiming to overcome the longstanding dispute between the two neighboring countries.
Veysel Eroglu, Turkish special representative to Iraq, announced on July 25 that both countries have drafted an action plan to address water issues amid scorching heat waves in the world affected by climate change.
Meanwhile, the more cautious Iraqi Water Resources Minister Jamal Adili said both parties favor a solution as water talks present a great opportunity to benefit both Turks and Iraqis.
It is worth noting that the continuing heat waves and droughts, which have created water shortages in the Middle East, have made the water issue between Iraq and Turkey more critical than ever.
According to satellites that monitor climate, the Tigris-Euphrates Basin, which is a transboundary basin distributed between Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, is losing water faster than any other area in the world.
In the past months, Turkey launched an effort to help resolve the water problem of neighboring Iraq amid bilateral tensions over decreasing flow rates in the Tigris and Euphrates river system whose water is shared by the two countries.
Despite recent positive response from Iraq, Turkey's roadmap will not be easily implemented given their different claims and opinions on the complex matter.
Experts, nevertheless, hailed the step taken by Ankara and Bagdad and their resolve to tackle the difficult issue.
"This is a positive step in the right direction and also in line with the long-standing cooperation over water development since the 1946 Treaty of Good Neighborly Relations between Iraq and Turkey," Muserref Yetim, a Turkish scholar in the Program in International Relations at New York University, told Xinhua.
However, there was no quick fix to the water contention between Ankara, Bagdad and Damascus under the current circumstances, said Yetim, who is a expert on water issues.
"The end of the Syrian civil war is a precondition that seems hard to achieve in the short and medium terms. In the long run, emergence of accountable and transparent governments at the Euphrates-Tigris Basin will facilitate the sustainable and environmentally sound water resource management," she noted.
As one of the most water-rich countries in the Mediterranean, Turkey, though, has been facing dramatically decreasing availability of water resources over the years with a population of some 82 million as well as droughts and climate change.
Turkey is building eight dams on the tributaries of the Tigris and 14 on Euphrates tributaries for its Southeastern Anatolia Project, which has incensed downstream countries.
Iraq says after defeating the Islamic State militant group in 2018, water is crucial in restoring peace and stability as more than 80 percent of the nation's water goes to agriculture which provides a livelihood to more than a third of its population.
Despite warnings from some observers against the rise of conflicts in the Middle East over water, Yetim rules out such a dramatic scenario while calling for more international cooperation.
"Previous severe droughts did not cause wars. However, water issue could become entangled with ethnic, religious, oil conflicts and may serve as a pretext," she noted.
"The establishment of more inclusive political and economic institutions can create more resilient and open societies that can solve their problems peacefully and have capacities to withstand adverse shocks like water scarcity, droughts and associated problems with the climate changes," Yetim concluded.
体坛英语资讯:Canadian BC premier: Winter Olympics to create jobs
体坛英语资讯:IOC to run over 2,000 doping tests during Vancouver Games
体坛英语资讯:China downs South Korea 3-0 in East Asian Mens Football Championship
体坛英语资讯:VANOC gets all ready but weather for Winter Olympics
体坛英语资讯:Chinas Bao takes gold at fencing Grand Prix Moscow leg
体坛英语资讯:Brazils Mourao switches between summer and winter Olympics
体坛英语资讯:Georgian slider dies after practice crash
体坛英语资讯:Robinho eludes fans upon Brazils arrival
体坛英语资讯:Swiss Ammann wins first Olympic gold at Vancouver Games
体坛英语资讯:Beckham soccer school closed down due to dismal economy
体坛英语资讯:Swiss Cologna wins mens 15km cross-country skiing Olympic gold
体坛英语资讯:Negredo scores twice as Sevilla beats Valencia to go fourth in Spain
体坛英语资讯:WADA confirms more than 30 athletes banned from Vancouver Games
体坛英语资讯:Bayern rout Mainz to top Bundesliga
体坛英语资讯:Luge to go on on a shorter course
体坛英语资讯:Super Bowl becomes most watched TV show
体坛英语资讯:Swiss Defago wins mens downhill Olympic gold
体坛英语资讯:Chelsea ends Birminghams unbeaten run to top Premier League
体坛英语资讯:Pele poses with FIFAs World Cup trophy, on display in Brazil
体坛英语资讯:Height does not translate to might in real world
体坛英语资讯:FIL gives explanation on Georgian slider fatal accident
体坛英语资讯:Last chance for FIFA World Cup tickets
体坛英语资讯:Williams sisters win fourth Australian Open doubles title
体坛英语资讯:Euro 2012 on track, insist co-hosts
体坛英语资讯:Magic burst in 3rd sinks Celtics
体坛英语资讯:Chinese league season may be delayed
体坛英语资讯:Olympic Village to be sustainable comunity after Vancouver Winter Games
体坛英语资讯:Barcelona and Real Madrid both win to maintain edge in Spains Primera Liga
体坛英语资讯:Nanjing wins hosting right for 2nd Youth Olympics
体坛英语资讯:Federer wins 16th Grand Slam title at Australian Open
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |