Dabagh: Turkey still refuses to sign any agreement for water

Baghdad (NINA) - Government spokesman Ali al-Dabagh said Turkey still refuses to sign any agreement with Iraq for water.

He said, in a joint press conference with the Minister of Agriculture, Izzedine Al Dawla on Tuesday "there is a weather problem experienced by all countries of the world, and Turkey is one of them, but, these countries are using modern methods to address the problem, while Iraq is still using old methods."

He added "the Iraqi parliament suspended the ratification of the strategic agreement with Turkey; it put a condition that Turkey signs the water agreement with Iraq; to endorse the strategic agreement."



For his part, Minister of Agriculture said "the agricultural domain collapsed in the past years and for many reasons. When i received the ministry, there were no plans for the advancement of this domain, only the agricultural initiative."

"This sector is suffering from significant problems like water scarcity which is a global problem. The ministry has started some steps, including water rationing and the use of salt-tolerant seeds, as well as supporting farmers through the opening of the Projects Fund."

The minister denied the news circulated by some Turkish officials who said that there is a waste of water in Iraq, and that most of the water goes to the Arab Gulf.

"No water goes to the Gulf without being used, and this does not absolve the neighboring countries of responsibility towards Iraq,” he concluded.