MP: Turkey is using water as a bargaining chip for oil export resumption and PKK expulsion

Shafaq News / Member of the Parliamentary Agriculture and Water Committee, Ibtisam Al-Hilali, confirmed today, Wednesday, a significant decrease in the water releases from Turkey to the Tigris River. She pointed out that the Turkish government is using the water issue as leverage to re-export Iraqi oil through the Ceyhan port pipeline and to withdraw the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) forces from Iraqi territories.

Al-Hilali stated, "After the visit of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani to Ankara, the Turkish side increased the water releases to the Tigris River in April last year, but then the releases decreased to a shallow level."

She added that "Turkey did not respond to Iraq's calls to increase water releases and instead has started to use the water issue as a pressure card to re-export Iraqi oil through its territory and to withdraw PKK forces from Iraqi territories."

Al-Hilali emphasized that "what Turkey is doing in this regard violates the laws and agreements between Baghdad and Ankara, and it also violates international agreements of the United Nations."