Türkiye's position on the water issue in Syria and Iraq 1989-2002

صالح, صبيحة ابراهيم; Mustafa, Lama Abdel Aziz

doi:10.33899/berj.2024.184836

	Türkiye's position on the water issue in Syria and Iraq 1989-2002
College Of Basic Education Research Journal
Volume 20, Issue 3, September 2024, Pages 428-460 PDF (878.2 K)
Document Type: Research Paper
DOI: 10.33899/berj.2024.184836
Authors
صبيحة ابراهيم صالح^* ¹; Lama Abdel Aziz Mustafa²
¹دهوك
²d
Abstract
The water crisis can be solved, as is clear, through joint international and regional efforts that include good intentions and belief in shared interests. This will only come about by concluding legal agreements of an international nature that are respected by the signatory parties. Therefore, the water issue is one of the most complex issues and problems that have faced Turkish-Arab relations, and specifically the relationship with Iraq and Syria, which is also one of the common issues between these countries. Now, the cooperative aspect in this issue was weak, and the weak position comes from the failure of any party to recognize the rights of the other. It believed from the beginning that the water flowing in the Euphrates and Tigris basins is Turkish water because it originates from Turkish land, and therefore it is not legally obligated to give a fixed share to the riparian countries. Despite this, Turkey showed its readiness to cooperate with Iraq and Syria to reach an agreement to supply them with water, provided that this does not conflict with the country’s interest in establishing development and economic projects. Therefore, we find that it dealt with this issue in a devious manner. In contrast, others tried to stand in the way of Turkish policy and demanded its legal rights to the waters of the Euphrates and Tigris, but they did not reach a common solution that they agreed upon to confront Turkey’s water policy. Rather, there was a disagreement between them that was the most prominent in this issue, which made Turkey exploit this disagreement to its advantage.

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