Syria, Iraq move to revive water committee with Turkiye

Shafaq News- Damascus

Syria and Iraq agreed to strengthen cooperation on managing shared water resources, including exchanging hydrological data and working to revive a trilateral technical committee with Turkiye, a Syrian official said on Sunday.

Obada Al-Mubaid, director of International Water at Syria's Ministry of Energy, told Shafaq News that the technical protocol stipulated the continued data exchange on the Euphrates River, particularly during periods of water scarcity or sudden increases in water releases, to ensure a rapid response and appropriate measures. The agreement also calls for reactivating the joint technical committee involving Syria, Iraq, and Turkiye, subject to the three countries' approval, while strengthening coordination with Turkiye as the upstream country to safeguard the legitimate water rights of Syria and Iraq in accordance with international law.

According to Al-Mubaid, the deal provides for resuming joint training programs and exchanges of expertise in hydrological monitoring, dam operations, drought management, and early warning systems to enhance the capacity of technical staff and improve water resource management. Additionally, the cooperation aims to establish a permanent institutional framework for technical coordination between Syria and Iraq, improve the management of the Euphrates River, unify technical positions on shared water issues, and strengthen the protection of both countries' water rights.

Last week, Iraq's Ministry of Water Resources and Syria's Ministry of Energy signed the agreement following bilateral talks on cooperation in managing shared water resources and exchanging technical data.