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Erdogan Vows to Boost Water Flow along Tigris River to Ease Iraq’s Water Shortage

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seen with Iraq's visiting Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani in Ankara - AFP
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seen with Iraq's visiting Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani in Ankara - AFP
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Erdogan Vows to Boost Water Flow along Tigris River to Ease Iraq’s Water Shortage

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seen with Iraq's visiting Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani in Ankara - AFP
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seen with Iraq's visiting Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani in Ankara - AFP

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged Tuesday to step up the flow of water along the Tigris River to drought-stricken Iraq for one month.

Erdogan told Iraq's visiting Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani that he was aware of the "urgent need for water" in Turkiye's war-scarred neighbour.

Official Iraqi statistics show the level of the Tigris entering the country last year dropping to just 35 percent of its average over the past century.

"For one month, we have taken the decision to increase the volume of water flowing along the Tigris River," Erdogan told a joint media appearance with Sudani.

"The issue of water will hopefully be resolved," AFP quoted Erdogan as saying.

For his part, Sudani expressed his gratitude and thanks to the president from the Iraqi people.

Also, Erdogan repeated his demand for Iraq to recognise the PKK as a terror group.

Sudani said that Iraq recognized Turkiye's security concerns.

"We won't allow Iraq to be used as a launching pad for attacks on Turkiye," he noted.

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EU’s Kallas Says She Hopes for Political Agreement on Easing Syria Sanctions

In this photograph taken on January 12, 2025, a vendor waits for customers at her mobile shop in the Damascus Tower market, which specializes in the smart phone business, in the Syrian capital. (AFP)
In this photograph taken on January 12, 2025, a vendor waits for customers at her mobile shop in the Damascus Tower market, which specializes in the smart phone business, in the Syrian capital. (AFP)
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EU’s Kallas Says She Hopes for Political Agreement on Easing Syria Sanctions

In this photograph taken on January 12, 2025, a vendor waits for customers at her mobile shop in the Damascus Tower market, which specializes in the smart phone business, in the Syrian capital. (AFP)
In this photograph taken on January 12, 2025, a vendor waits for customers at her mobile shop in the Damascus Tower market, which specializes in the smart phone business, in the Syrian capital. (AFP)

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Wednesday she hopes a political agreement on easing Syria sanctions can be reached at a gathering of European ministers next week.

EU foreign ministers will discuss the situation in Syria during a meeting in Brussels on Jan. 27.

European officials began rethinking their approach towards Syria after Bashar al-Assad was ousted as president by opposition forces led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, which the United Nations designates as a terrorist group.

Some European capitals want to move quickly to suspend economic sanctions in a signal of support for the transition in Damascus. Others have sought to ensure that even if some sanctions are eased, Brussels retains leverage in its relationship with the new Syrian authorities.

“We are ready to do step-for-step approach and also to discuss what is the fallback position,” Kallas told Reuters in an interview.

“If we see that the developments are going in the wrong direction, then we are also willing to put them back,” she added.

Six EU member states called this month for the bloc to temporarily suspend sanctions on Syria in areas such as transport, energy and banking.

Current EU sanctions include a ban on Syrian oil imports and a freeze on any Syrian central bank assets in Europe.