Iraq, Turkey sign key water deal, touch on PKK peace process

EBRIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq and Turkey on Sunday signed the implementation mechanism of the Framework Water Cooperation Agreement, a deal officials say aims to provide sustainable solutions to Iraq’s worsening water crisis. The two countries' officials also discussed recent developments surrounding the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Sunday oversaw the signing which took place between Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan, the premier’s office reported in a statement on X.

Sudani hailed the agreement as “one of the sustainable solutions to Iraq’s water crisis,” saying it includes “a package of major joint projects to be implemented in the water sector.”

He added that the deal would “further strengthen bilateral relations” with Ankara and emphasized the need to follow up on commitments made during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Baghdad last year.

In late April 2024, Sudani and Erdogan signed a multi-billion-dollar package of 26 agreements and memoranda of understanding, including a framework agreement on water policy cooperation. The 10-year pact outlines joint river management initiatives and paves the way for increased Turkish investment under Iraqi coordination.

A lingering crisis

Iraq relies heavily on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, both of which originate in Turkey. However, large-scale Turkish dam projects, including the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP), have significantly reduced downstream water flow, exacerbating drought, desertification, and environmental degradation.

Currently, Iraq receives less than 40 percent of its historical water share.

The crisis is compounded by climate change, declining rainfall, poor resource management, and the absence of comprehensive water-sharing agreements with Turkey as well as its eastern neighbor Iran - leaving Iraq vulnerable to unilateral upstream policies.

In late May, Iraq’s water reserves dropped to their lowest level in 80 years.

“At the start of the summer season, we should have at least 18 billion cubic meters of water. Today, we only have about 10 billion,” water ministry Spokesperson Khaled Shamal then told Rudaw, warning that agricultural activities had been severely curtailed as a result.

Following meetings in early July between Turkish President Erdogan and Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, Ankara pledged to increase releases into the Tigris and Euphrates by 420 cubic meters per second.

However, in the following months, Iraqi officials repeatedly stated that no significant increase has yet been observed.

Moreover, the mounting frustration over dwindling water supplies fueled repeated protests in southern Iraq, where residents face acute shortages and pollution, with some officials going as far as calling for banning Turkish companies from operating in the country in response.

In recent days, the Arabic hashtag “The good Tigris is not well” trended on Iraqi social media, as users shared images showing the river’s drastically reduced levels.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein on Sunday said in a post on X he emphasized to his Turkish counterpart, Fidan, “the importance of the Framework Agreement and the establishment of cooperation mechanisms between Iraq and Turkey as a qualitative step toward organizing water management and developing partnership in vital sectors.”

Hussein explained that “the agreement comprises two integrated tracks: the first focuses on managing water resources to ensure the rights of both countries, while the second supports infrastructure projects for irrigation and water supply in Iraq.”

Earlier in the day, Ankara’s Foreign Minister, Fidan, remarked in a joint presser with Hussein that the implementation mechanism will pave the way for the long-term rehabilitation of Iraq's water systems.

"Once implemented, we will have taken a significant step toward solving a major part of the water issue, and future generations will not face the problems experienced by previous generations," he added.

Shift to PKK

Importantly, Iraq’s Foreign Minister Hussein said Sunday that another key topic on his and Fidan’s agenda was “regional issues, including regarding the PKK and [the situation in] Syria,” with both senior diplomats emphasizing that “dialogue and understanding are the optimal path to enhancing regional stability.”

The Turkish foreign minister described the PKK’s recent decision to dissolve as “undoubtedly a positive development” that is “quite important” for regional stability.

“Our expectation - is that the organization also ends its armed struggle and terrorist activities in Iraq, withdraws from the areas it occupies, and likewise withdraws from the areas it occupies in Syria," the senior Turkish diplomat added.

Peace talks between Ankara and the PKK began late last year after Devlet Bahceli, leader of Turkey’s far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and a close ally of President Erdogan, proposed that the PKK’s jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan, be allowed to address parliament and announce the group’s dissolution.

In February Ocalan called on his group to disarm and disband, and in May the PKK responded by announcing its and rebranding temporarily as the Kurdistan Freedom Movement.

The group in July held a symbolic disarmament ceremony in the Kurdistan Region’s eastern Sulaimani province. Later the same month, the Turkish parliament established a multi-party commission to draft the legal framework for the peace process, holding its first session in early August. By late October, the PKK had begun withdrawing its remaining fighters from Turkey.

Despite these developments, uncertainty lingers over the PKK’s future.

Notably, Zubeyir Aydar, a senior member of the Kurdistan Community Union (KCK) - the umbrella group of Kurdish parties spearheaded by the PKK - told Rudaw on Thursday that the group is in discussions about rebranding. This while observers continue to speculate whether the movement will eventually enter Turkish politics after formally ending its armed struggle.

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