Al-Miqdad: The importance of strengthening consultation and coordination between Syria and Iraq to face common challenges

Dr. Faisal Al-Miqdad, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, stressed the importance of strengthening consultation and coordination between Syria and Iraq and raising its levels in proportion to the level of challenges, according to what the two brotherly peoples aspire to.

During his meeting today with Engineer Mahdi Rashid Al-Hamdani, Iraqi Minister of Water Resources and the Iraqi Minister of Environment Jassem Abdul Aziz Al-Falahi as well as the accompanying delegation, in the presence of Dr. Tammam Raad, Minister of Water Resources, the Foreign Affairs Minister Al-Miqdad reviewed the bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries and common challenges.

Minister Al-Miqdad presented the negative repercussions left by the terrorist groups affiliated with the Turkish occupation and the unacceptable practices they resort to, such as cutting off the water at the Allouk station for Syrian citizens in Al-Hasakah Governorate, as well as in terms of reducing the level of water flow of the Euphrates River to Syria and Iraq, the transit and downstream countries, pointing to the Turkish occupation’s violation of all International agreements related to this subject, especially bilateral agreements that oblige the Turkish side to maintain the agreed levels of the water in the Euphrates River.

Al-Miqdad warned of the danger of the current situation in terms of the serious consequences of the water cut off in large areas of Syria and Iraq and its repercussions on health, environment, agriculture, drinking, sanitation, hygiene and others, stressing the importance of coordinating common positions between Syria and Iraq to face this challenge.

In turn, Minister Al-Hamdani stressed the importance of this visit to Syria in order to participate in the Syrian-Iraqi joint meeting to launch the ninth phase of the intergovernmental hydrological program, pointing out that Syria is one of the first countries to adopt this project.

Al-Hamdani pointed to the importance of strengthening cooperation between the two countries in all fields, particularly the field of water resources, because of their importance in securing human needs of water, including supporting agriculture, on which large groups of the peoples of the two brotherly countries depend.

In turn, Minister Al-Falahi drew attention to the need for coordination between the two countries to confront the challenges of climate change and its negative repercussions, in which water scarcity is one of the main problems. He expressed his satisfaction with the level of cooperation between Syria and Iraq and stressed Iraq’s orientation towards renewable energies and the Iraqi government’s adoption of a national strategy to confront climate change, expressing his confidence that Syrian-Iraqi cooperation will solve some of the environmental problems faced by the two sides.

During the meeting, the two sides reviewed the challenges related to Arab water security and the hostile projects that are trying to threaten and undermine Arab water security in order to put pressure on the Arab countries and serve the agendas hostile to them and to their people.

NR