President Rashid Meets Turkey Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Vahit Kirişci

On Friday, March 24, 2023, the President of the Republic of Iraq, Abdullatif Jamal Rashid met with Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Vahit Kirişci, Turkish representative at the UN 2023 Water Conference, alongside his delegation, at his residence in New York.

Iraq's Foreign Minister, Fuad Hussein, and Governor of Basra, Assad Al-Eidani attended the meeting.

At the outset of the meeting, President Rashid expressed deep sorrow, and offered sincere condolences over the loss of lives, after the earthquake hit Turkey, and it caused painful tragedy not only for Turkey but for everyone, and he hoped that Turkish people will move beyond the crisis. His Excellency asked Minister Vahit Kirişci to convey his greetings to President Erdogan.

President Rashid underlined that serious steps are being taken by Iraq to ensure a fundamental solution to the water crisis, and the government moves ahead toward its tasks, and the basic projects will be carried out, pending the national budget approval.  Concerned authorities have taken effective actions to modernize the methods of water management to address the scarcity of water in Iraq, HE added.

The sources of Iraq's rivers and tributaries flow from the borders into Iraq so this requires further cooperation with our neighbours to reach understanding and ensure adequate and equitable water ration for all parties, the President underscored, while speaking about the importance of being familiar with the water plans of Turkey that would help us to set the necessary plans in Iraq. We should make use of Turkey's experiences in this respect.

His Excellency emphasized that Iraq is under the threat of decreased transboundary water flows, desertification, and droughts in addition to poor rainfalls, all of these caused effects on the social stability in Iraq and the agricultural sector.

Turkish Minister, Vahit Kirişci, conveyed greetings from Turkey's President Erdogan to President Rashid, and he hailed Iraq's stance in supporting Turkey and its people during the tragic events of the earthquake.

Furthermore, Mr. Vahit Kirişci stated that the bilateral ties between Iraq and Turkey will contribute to resolving all the issues regarding the water crisis between the two countries. He spoke about the importance of the recent visit to Turkey made by the Iraqi Prime Minister, and that he met with President Erdogan and the Minister of Water Resources, where the two sides have shown the desire to understand the water ration.

Additionally, he talked about the research and development of agriculture and advancing the plans of water management, in particular groundwater, and he said that Turkey stands ready to share experiences with Iraq in the field of water management and modernizing the methods of the agricultural system in Iraq.

Presedent