Iraqi PM Accuses Turkey of Exploiting Ilisu Dam for Political Purposes

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi. (Reuters)
Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi. (Reuters)
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Iraqi PM Accuses Turkey of Exploiting Ilisu Dam for Political Purposes

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi. (Reuters)
Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi. (Reuters)

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi accused on Tuesday the Turkish government of exploiting the Ilisu dam for political purposes, slamming the timing it chose to fill up the dam.

He explained that Ankara deliberately chose the timing to exploit the issue for “political and electoral purposes.”

Turkey is set to hold snap elections on June 24.

An agreement had been reached between Iraq and Turkey for Ankara to start filling the dam on June 1, but it kicked off operation back on March 1, drawing Baghdad’s anger.

Iraq is currently suffering from a stifling drought and the Ilisu dam on the Tigris River has only compounded the problem.

Addressing criticism that successive Iraqi governments had failed since 2003 to construct dams in the country, Abadi remarked: “We do not need to build dams, because the ones we already have have not been filled to capacity.”

“Once we have a surplus, then we will build new dams.”

Iraq’s water resources minister Hassan al-Janabi informed Asharq Al-Awsat, however, that the “crisis, despite its severity, was still under control because the minimum amount of potable and irrigation water was being provided.”

Concerns have been voiced over next year’s crops.

Abadi stressed that contacts are ongoing with Turkey and Iran over the water shortage and the Tigris issue.

He assured the people that Iraq has sufficient water reserves.

Meanwhile, head of the Sadr movement, Moqtada al-Sadr, made a number of proposals aimed at resolving the water crisis.

Among them was a call for the Foreign Ministry or concerned ministries to convene a meeting for the Iraq basin countries to address the crisis.

Another, he said via his Twitter account, was having the concerned Iraqi ministries form a permanent committee that would be tasked with finding the causes and reaching solutions for water safety problems.



Russia Says It Wants United and ‘Friendly’ Syria 

10 March 2025, Syria, Latakia: A general view of the University Roundabout in the city of Latakia. (dpa)
10 March 2025, Syria, Latakia: A general view of the University Roundabout in the city of Latakia. (dpa)
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Russia Says It Wants United and ‘Friendly’ Syria 

10 March 2025, Syria, Latakia: A general view of the University Roundabout in the city of Latakia. (dpa)
10 March 2025, Syria, Latakia: A general view of the University Roundabout in the city of Latakia. (dpa)

Russia wants to see a united and friendly Syria because instability there could affect the whole of the Middle East, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

Moscow was a major backer of Assad, who fled to Russia in December after his ouster.

Russia has two strategically important military bases in Syria, which it is hoping to retain in the wake of Assad's fall.

"This is too explosive a region and, of course... the destabilization or disintegration of one of the countries in the region can have disastrous consequences for the region as a whole. Therefore, we want to see Syria united, prosperous, developing, predictable and friendly," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

He said Russia was in contact with other countries about the situation in Syria.

On Monday, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, was cited by state-run TASS news agency as saying that Russia is coordinating with the United States in connection with the escalating violence in Syria following clashes between the new security forces and remnants of the Assad regime.